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
Some plumbing problems are much more typical as well as can be easily repaired. Doing the repair services yourselves on these easy plumbing troubles can save you tons of cash. As a house owner, you will encounter several plumbing issues that sometimes make a problem. Take a look at 5 of one of the most usual ones below:
Low Water Pressure
Is someone from your house grumbling that there's reduced water pressure from the sink? If indeed, after that the trouble is the aerator within the sink which may have a whole lot of sedimentation resulting in low water stress.
Running Toilet
You may have experienced a running commode, which can be fairly annoying due to the fact that the tank won't fill out. At the same time, leaving it alone corresponds to wasting water and also spiking up your water costs. For beginners, figure out what's creating it to run. You may require to change any of the adhering to toilet devices:
Commode fill valve
Leaking flush shutoff
Toilet flapper
Malfunctioning Garbage Disposal System
This annoying trouble is also high on the list of usual plumbing concerns. If you shed it, you will need an Allen wrench to repair the trouble. You have to go under the sink as well as look for the area where you can place the secret.
Slow Draining Sink
You can utilize a plumbing tool for fishing out the particles. From there, you can use a store-bought drainpipe cleaner to cleanse the lines.
Slow-moving Tub Drain
Just like the sink drain, hair, soap residue, dead skin cells, as well as various other gunk pool in the drainpipe usually. After using the claw, you can pour drainpipe cleaner to rejuvenate the drainpipe lines.
You can constantly call in a plumber to obtain professional aid if all of these sound tiresome for you. Looking for expert help implies conserving effort and time. Because you can relax ensured that your simple plumbing issue will not rise, you might also end up saving money in the lengthy run. Just make sure you call a trustworthy business with licenses and also certifications since you will certainly rate unfamiliar people in your house. Of course, you need to make certain that you work with someone you can rely on.
Some plumbing problems are much more typical and can be easily dealt with. Doing the repairs yourselves on these simple plumbing troubles can save you loads of money. As a homeowner, you will certainly come across numerous different plumbing troubles that occasionally make a problem. You can use a plumbing device for angling out the debris. You might even finish up conserving cash in the long run since you can rest ensured that your easy plumbing issue will certainly not intensify.
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