What are the most common plumbing problems?
Clogs
Clogs are arguably the most common type of plumbing problem that homeowners run into. Drains clog all the time. Most of these clogs are pretty minor—you clear out a sink clog by running the disposal, or a toilet clog using the plunger.
But, many other clogs are much tougher to clear out. Some can even be a sign of a sewer line blockage—something that should never be taken lightly!
How to deal with clogs
This is how most homeowners approach a clog. They’ll try to clear it themselves and—should that approach fail—they’ll bring in a plumber.
After all, plumbers have access to specialized clog-clearing tools that most homeowners don’t have under their kitchen or bathroom sink. This includes a variety of snake tools, specialized plungers, augers, and more.
Should you use drain cleaning products?
When confronted with a clog, most homeowners are tempted to run out to the grocery store and grab a drain cleaning product. After all, this is typically cheaper than bringing in a plumber.
However, these drain cleaning chemicals don’t always work as well as they should. In many cases, they only partially clear the clog, which means you’re going to be dealing with a clog again very soon.
Plus, these harsh chemicals can be tough on your pipes. Repeated use can actually weaken and damage them.
Frozen Pipes
Throughout much of the United States—including here in Chicagoland—frozen pipes are a major problem in the winter.
All it takes is a particularly cold night and your heater going down for several hours (which are often related) for your home’s pipes to freeze. If your home has an electric furnace, a power outage could also lead to this problem.
What happens when pipes freeze?
For obvious reasons, pipes in exterior walls are at the greatest immediate risk. As the pipes freeze, the water inside of them expands.
If you’ve ever left a can of soda pop in the freezer overnight, you know what comes next: the expansion of water into ice puts immense pressure on the pipe.
Luckily, your home’s copper or PVC pipes are hardier than an aluminum can, but there’s only so much of this sustained pressure they can take. Your pipes are at risk of bursting at any time.
How should you thaw out frozen pipes?
Thawing these pipes out is trickier than you might think. Most homeowners instinctively reach for the hair dryer, but that can actually bring on a pipe burst, since rapidly heating the pipe’s surface may weaken it.
You’ll really want to bring in a plumber. We have specialized thawing tools designed to safely raise the temperature of the water inside of the pipe, defrosting it without damaging the pipe itself.
Leaks
Water leaks are a big deal—and a common problem. Whether they’re caused by frozen—and then burst—pipes, or just by aging pipes, water leaks can cause thousands of dollars in water damage to your home, relatively quickly.
For this reason, every leak—no matter how small it starts—needs to be treated like a major threat to your home.
Do you need leak detection?
Not all leaks start in convenient, easy-to-access places, either. Some leaks start behind walls, in ceilings, or underneath floors. Finding and accessing the leak actually might be the toughest part of the job.
This is where a professional plumber can really save you a lot of time, money, and headache. Using professional leak detection equipment—such as acoustic leak detectors—the plumber will pinpoint the location of the leak.
From there, they can make precision cuts into your drywall or slab to access and repair it.
Leaks and water damage
If you’ve got a leak, you’ve probably also got water damage and, potentially, mold growth. Once your plumber has fixed the leak, you’ll want to speak to a restoration and mold remediation specialist to make sure there’s no long-term, lingering damage to your home.
Exactly How to Fix Common Household Plumbing Issues
Doing the repair services yourselves on these basic plumbing problems can conserve you lots of money. As a home owner, you will certainly experience lots of various plumbing troubles that periodically make a hassle.
Low Tide Pressure
Is a person from your house complaining that there's reduced water pressure from the sink? If yes, then the issue is the aerator within the sink which may have a whole lot of sedimentation resulting in reduced water pressure.
Running Toilet
You may have experienced a running bathroom, which can be quite bothersome since the tank will not fill out. At the same time, leaving it alone equates to drainage and spiking up your water bills. For starters, find out what's causing it to run. You might require to replace any of the following bathroom mechanisms:
Bathroom fill shutoff
Dripping flush shutoff
Bathroom flapper
Malfunctioning Garbage Disposal System
This irritating issue is additionally high up on the checklist of usual plumbing issues. Your unit will certainly feature a clever trick to unjam your machine. If you shed it, you will certainly require an Allen wrench to fix the issue. You have to go under the sink and also look for the place where you can put the trick. Utilize your wrench to transform the equipment to release the electric motor as soon as you detect it. When functioning on your rubbish disposal system to prevent nasty accidents, don't neglect to transform off the system and also reduced the circuit breaker.
Slow Draining Sink
This is the most common complaint of homeowners, with the sink collecting a great deal of hair, grease, debris, and various other gunk over time. Unfortunately, the only method to get a smooth streaming drainpipe once again is to clear the particles. You can make use of a plumbing device for angling out the debris. From there, you can make use of a store-bought drainpipe cleaner to cleanse the lines.
Slow-moving Tub Drain
Just like the sink drainpipe, hair, soap residue, dead skin cells, as well as other cruds pool in the drainpipe usually. After making use of the claw, you can put drainpipe cleaner to revitalize the drainpipe lines.
You may even finish up saving cash in the lengthy run due to the fact that you can relax ensured that your straightforward plumbing trouble will certainly not intensify. Simply make sure you call a credible business with licenses as well as qualifications since you will certainly be inviting strangers in your residence.
Some plumbing problems are much more common and also can be quickly repaired. Doing the repairs yourselves on these simple plumbing problems can conserve you heaps of money. As a homeowner, you will certainly experience many various plumbing issues that occasionally make an annoyance. You can utilize a plumbing tool for fishing out the particles. You might even finish up saving cash in the long run due to the fact that you can relax guaranteed that your simple plumbing problem will not rise.
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