A Comprehensive Look at Common Plumbing Problems: Solutions
A Comprehensive Look at Common Plumbing Problems: Solutions
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MOST COMMON PLUMBING PROBLEMS IN OLDER HOMES
Galvanized Pipes
The galvanic process means coating an iron pipe with molten zinc to prevent the iron from corroding. The zinc lasts a while, but not forever. As the zinc erodes, the exposed iron begins to rust. This can cause pipes to fail, but the warning signal is easy to spot: Your water will become discolored from the rust in it.
The answer is to have galvanized pipes professionally replaced by modern alternatives, such as copper or PEX (Cross-Linked Polyethylene). A well-trained plumber and assistant can perform this work in relatively short time, ensuring a constant water pressure, no odd taste or color to your water and no leaks.
Pipe Bellies
As your Phoenix home rises and falls in its surrounding soil, the pipes leading into your home will rise and fall, too. When they buckle or bow, they form a pipe belly, a low spot that defies gravity’s pull on sewage. While this settling occurs slowly, you will eventually notice poor drainage, slow-flushing toilets and, ultimately, a clogged sewer line.
Similar to pipe bellies are pipe channeling, where hard water carves its own channel in the bottom of a sewer pipe, rendering it very weak.
Polybutylene Pipe
Once thought of as a great water pipe product, polybutylene pipe (PB) was used from the late ’70s into the early ’90s because of its low cost and easy installation. It breaks down with exposure to water and water’s dissolved solids, so it is not acceptable anymore. As time goes on, homeowners experience more and more polybutylene pipe problems.
If you have an entire house piped in PB, you need the services of an experienced local plumber to replace every run, every elbow and tee, and every connection to fixtures throughout your house. Otherwise a leak could destroy furniture, furnishings, flooring and more.
Sewer Lines
Sewers and sewer lines are definitely at the top of a lot of people’s old house plumbing problems. Sewer lines take your home’s gray and black water from drains to the sewer main, where it travels on to a municipal treatment plant. Sewer lines are always wet, so they attract tree roots. Cast iron pipes are particularly susceptible to cracking and intrusion by tree roots, which can completely clog a line.
Professional plumbers can send a camera into your home’s sewer pipe to diagnose channeling and bellies, and they can find and fix tree roots that clog your pipe. This is a much more affordable option than the disgusting and expensive issues created by a sewer backing up.
Drains
Fifty years of draining water, soap scum, sewage and shampoo can take a toll on your older Phoenix home’s drains. Clogs develop in pipes in all drains, but toilet, kitchen, and bathroom sink drains are particularly prone to clogs.
Toilets are infamous targets for children, fascinated by the disappearing act. While you may never know a small action figure or toy car went down the toilet, you will know a backed-up toilet when it strikes. A small item could start a very slow-building clog.
Kitchen sink drains also tend to accept things that should not go down the drain, like kitchen fats, bits of food that should go through a sink strainer and even bone. You can do your part, of course, by keeping waste out of the kitchen sink or having a garbage disposal installed, but in an older home you will not know what others have stuffed down there before you.
Original Fixtures
While some original fixtures are notably sturdier and of better quality than their corresponding modern fixtures, many older ones simply wear out with time. Washers and valves degrade and cause leaks. Stems and handles break. If your home still has its original spigots, faucets, handles and valves, you may not notice the tiny leaks that lead to higher water bills and unpleasant smells.
A worry spot in any home is the shut-off valve for a toilet. This little-used valve attaches where the rigid pipe exits the wall, down below the tank, and a flexible metal and plastic tube connects the water supply to the tank. That shut-off valve can get stuck in its typical, open position, so any attempt to close it may actually cause it to leak. A trained plumber can replace not only the flexible tube to the toilet tank, but the antiquated or stuck shut-off valve. This means you never have to worry about turning off the water to the toilet should a bowl clog cause your toilet to back up.
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5 Typical Household Plumbing Issues and How You Can Fix Them
As a homeowner, you will encounter several different plumbing troubles that periodically make a hassle. Doing the repair services yourselves on these basic plumbing problems can conserve you lots of money.
Slow Draining Sink
This is one of the most common problem of property owners, with the sink gathering a lot of hair, oil, particles, and also various other substance gradually. The only way to get a smooth streaming drain again is to clear the debris. First, you can make use of a plumbing device for angling out the debris. From there, you can use a store-bought drainpipe cleaner to cleanse the lines.
Slow Tub Drain
This is one more pesky hassle because the bathtub is among the most pre-owned fixtures in your restroom. Just like the sink drainpipe, hair, soap residue, dead skin cells, and other cruds swimming pool in the drainpipe commonly. You must pop open the drain cover and use a bathtub claw to get rid of the particles. Do this ASAP before the drain congests completely. After making use of the claw, you can pour drainpipe cleaner to freshen the drain lines.
Low Water Pressure
Is someone from your home whining that there's low water pressure from the sink? Examine if this problem impacts both the cool as well as hot water lines. The problem is the aerator within the sink which might have a lot of sedimentation resulting in low water stress if yes. This is really easy to take care of as you simply need to take it out as well as scrub away the mineral deposits.
Running Toilet
You may have experienced a running bathroom, which can be rather annoying because the tank will not fill. At the same time, leaving it alone relates to drainage and surging up your water costs. For beginners, identify what's triggering it to run. You might require to change any one of the adhering to toilet systems:
Commode fill valve
Leaking flush valve
Commode flapper
Malfunctioning Garbage Disposal System
This bothersome problem is additionally high on the list of usual plumbing issues. If you shed it, you will certainly need an Allen wrench to repair the problem. You have to go under the sink and also look for the spot where you can place the key.
You might also finish up conserving money in the long run because you can rest ensured that your easy plumbing issue will certainly not escalate. Just make certain you call a reputable firm with licenses and also certifications due to the fact that you will certainly be inviting unfamiliar people in your house.
As a property owner, you will certainly encounter lots of various plumbing troubles that periodically make a nuisance. Some plumbing issues are much more common and also can be quickly repaired. Doing the repair work yourselves on these basic plumbing troubles can conserve you tons of cash. You can use a plumbing tool for fishing out the particles. You might even end up saving cash in the lengthy run since you can rest guaranteed that your basic plumbing issue will not rise.
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