What to Address Frequent Plumbing Challenges: An Expert Approach
What to Address Frequent Plumbing Challenges: An Expert Approach
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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.
5 Typical Household Plumbing Issues and also How You Can Fix Them
As a homeowner, you will certainly run into various plumbing problems that periodically make a hassle. Some plumbing problems are much more usual and can be quickly repaired. Doing the repair services yourselves on these basic plumbing issues can save you tons of money. Have a look at 5 of the most common ones listed below:
Slow Draining Sink
This is one of the most common problem of homeowners, with the sink accumulating a great deal of hair, oil, particles, and various other crud with time. The only way to get a smooth flowing drainpipe again is to clear the debris. Initially, you can make use of a plumbing device for fishing out the debris. From there, you can make use of a store-bought drainpipe cleaner to cleanse the lines.
Slow Tub Drain
This is one more pesky hassle because the tub is just one of the most secondhand fixtures in your shower room. Much like the sink drainpipe, hair, soap scum, dead skin cells, as well as other gunk pool in the drainpipe often. You should pop open the drainpipe cover as well as utilize a tub claw to get rid of the particles. Do this ASAP before the drainpipe blocks entirely. After using the claw, you can put drain cleaner to rejuvenate the drainpipe lines.
Low Water Pressure
Is someone from your house grumbling that there's low tide pressure from the sink? First, check if this issue affects both the cold and hot water lines. If yes, then the issue is the aerator within the sink which might have a great deal of sedimentation resulting in low water stress. This is very simple to fix as you simply require to take it out and scrub away the natural resource.
Running Toilet
You might have experienced a running bathroom, which can be quite bothersome due to the fact that the container won't load up. At the exact same time, leaving it alone relates to throwing away water as well as increasing up your water bills.
Bathroom fill shutoff
Dripping flush valve
Toilet flapper
Malfunctioning Garbage Disposal System
This annoying issue is also high on the list of typical plumbing concerns. Your unit will certainly feature a clever trick to unjam your device. However if you lose it, you will certainly require an Allen wrench to fix the trouble. You have to go under the sink and search for the spot where you can insert the secret. As soon as you detect it, use your wrench to transform the device to free the motor. Don't neglect to switch off the system and also reduced the circuit breaker when dealing with your garbage disposal system to prevent horrible mishaps.
If all of these sound laborious for you, you can constantly contact a plumber to obtain specialist assistance. Looking for expert assistance means saving time and effort. Due to the fact that you can relax ensured that your straightforward plumbing trouble will certainly not intensify, you may also end up conserving cash in the long run. Simply make sure you call a respectable firm with licenses and also certifications due to the fact that you will rate complete strangers in your home. Of course, you have to ensure that you work with somebody you can rely on.
As a homeowner, you will experience numerous different plumbing troubles that sometimes make an annoyance. Some plumbing concerns are extra typical and also can be quickly fixed. Doing the repairs yourselves on these basic plumbing troubles can conserve you loads of cash. You can make use of a plumbing device for fishing out the debris. You might also end up saving cash in the lengthy run since you can rest ensured that your basic plumbing issue will not intensify.
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