Common Causes of Plumbing Problems You Need to Know
There are different kinds of problems that you can face as you carry out your routine plumbing maintenance. From running toilets and dripping faucets to major leakage in your pipes or problems with your sewer system, such issues can disrupt your quality of life at home. Some of these plumbing issues can also cause serious damage to the structure of your property. Preventing these problems is better than trying to fix them after they arise. In this article, we’ll list the most common plumbing problems, as well as their causes and how you can eliminate them.
Slow Draining Sink
If you’re facing a bathroom or kitchen sink that drains water very slowly, it may mean that you have a blockage that is causing water flow restriction. Blockage in your kitchen sink can be caused by having too many food remnants and congealed fat laying around in the drain. Blockage in your bathroom sink can be caused by solid soap pieces and knotted hair stuck in the drain. To clean a clogged sink drain you can either pour baking soda and vinegar down the drain, use a plunger, pour down a chemical clog remover, or use a plumber’s snake.
Clogged Toilets and Drains
If you see water backing up when you are taking a shower or emptying your sinks, this could mean that you have clogged drains. Toilets usually show more immediate signs than sinks. What happens is you notice water backing up or sometimes overflowing in the toilet bowl instead of flushing normally. A plumber may offer the best help in that situation, or you may want to look up some DIY solutions that are proven to work. Preventing toilet and sink clogs is possible by only flushing dissolvable waste products down the toilet and drains. If possible, you should use a hair catcher to place over the drains in order to prevent hair from collecting inside the drain pipes.
Running Toilets
Running toilets waste a lot of water and can increase your water bills tremendously as they waste a lot of water every day. The culprit behind running toilets is often a broken flapper valve. The main purpose of this valve is to control the water passing from the tank to the bowl. A faulty flapper valve causes water to overflow from the tank and flush continuously into the bowl. To fix this problem, you can either click here to learn about the different problems a professional plumber can help you with if you are considering hiring one or get a repair kit from any hardware store and fix the flapper valve yourself. Another reason why your toilet is running can be due to silent leaks. You can easily spot these leaks by putting some food coloring in the toilet tank and checking to see if the colored water makes its way to the bowl without flushing the toilet.
Water Heater Issues
Most people can’t identify this problem until they notice their water goes cold while they are in the shower. Having plumbing issues may impact your water heater performance big time without you noticing the problem as it builds up inside your pipes. The problem may be with your pilot light going out, in that case, you will just need to relight it. Water heater problems can also be a result of built-up sediment in the pipes of the tank. Make sure you check your thermostat, as it might be causing problems.
Reduced Water Pressure
You can spot low water pressure by checking if your faucet water gushes out or sprinkles out of the top. Older homes usually have this problem due to a number of issues that cause low water pressure. The most common reason behind this problem is leaking pipes, broken, corroded, or pipes that have been worn over time. Sometimes, reduced shower water pressure can be caused by the build-up of mineral deposits, sediment, and aerators in your pipes. In most cases, vinegar is your best solution. Soak the showerhead causing the problem or the aerator in vinegar to clean the built-up waste, or you can simply replace the shower head as they are harder to clean.
Plumbing issues can be a real headache to deal with. However, the more you know about common plumbing issues, the more hassle you’ll save yourself down the road. If you take the time to learn how to spot and fix the common plumbing problems, you can avoid potential structural damage to your property. If ignored, these problems can escalate, resulting in serious damage that will cost you a lot to repair. If you come across any of these plumbing issues, the best course of action would be to get in touch with an experienced plumber or look up DIY solutions.
Comments are closed.