As a homeowner, there are countless responsibilities you have on your plate to ensure your home is operating efficiently. One of the most important aspects to your home is the plumbing. When your plumbing systems are not functioning properly, this can lead to a number of issues that can lead to frustration and even further, spin-off problems.
Following are the 5 most common plumbing problems homeowners encounter, and how you can correct those issues.
1. Clogged Piping
Clogging issues come in many forms. Maybe your sink is draining slower than usual, your water pressure is decreasing on one particular faucet, or you’re having spotty results with the water flow and drainage. A great first step in addressing this is to try plunging. Most people think that your plunger is just for use in your toilet but it can also work wonders on your sink. Using a plunger will ether remove clear the blockage or get it to a point where you can use your fingers (or tweezers) to remove it entirely.
2. Low Water Pressure
There are a few factors that cause low water pressure, it could be calcium deposits in your pipes, debris in the aerator, or it could be because of your houses location and the pressure coming from the city distribution. A pressure pump can be a good way to increase your water pressure but before taking that into consideration it is never a bad idea to check the aerator. To this you simply
- Unscrew the aerator from the faucet: This can be done by hand or with pliers. If you use pliers make sure you put a cloth between the pliers and the faucet so you can protect the finish.
- Remove the washer in between the faucet and the aerator (not all faucets have these but it is always good to check).
- Run water through the faucet with the aerator removed.
- Inspect aerator for damage or debris. (You might want to soak it in vinegar if there is a lot of build up)
- Replace or re-attach the aerator.
This can be a quick fix for your water pressure, but if it is still too low you may need to call a professional to install a pump or diagnose the health of your piping.
3. Freezing Pipes
When it gets cold enough in the Winter, there is a risk that your pipes may start to freeze. While a cold pipe is not an emergency in and of itself, it can cause some pretty nasty accidents if ignored such as leaks and even bursts in your piping. The best way to prevent your pipes from freezing is to make sure that your pipes are insulated, and exposed to the heating of your house. If you are going a way for a few days in the Winter make sure you leave your heat on! If it is particularly cold you may want to open up some of the cabinets where you piping is exposed, the more direct contact that they have with heat, the less risk you take on when it comes to pipes freezing, leaking, or bursting.
4. Dripping Faucet
We have all experienced the annoyance of a faucet that just seems to keep dripping even after we have turned it off. What most people don’t know, is that a leaky faucet can end up wasting gallons of water a year. This is not only annoying, but it can end up costing you more in your water bill if ignored for too long. The culprit of a leak faucet usually resides in an old or damaged washer within the mechanism. We recommend you call a profession to assist with disassembling your faucet but if you want to have a go at DIY, make sure you turn off you water before taking apart the faucet.
5. Jammed garbage disposal
You have probably seen enough horror movies where you don’t want to even attempt this, but we promise, it’s safe and easy. The first step in fixing a disposal is to determine if it is an electrical or mechanical issue. If you turn the power on and you hear the motor running, you can safely knock electrical issues off the list. Second, you should unscrew the motor from the unit from the bottom. All garbage disposals come with a key design for the unit, but in case you can’t find that, a 1/4th allen wrench should do the trick. Remove the clog, reattach, and retest. Most plumber have a lot of experience dealing with garbage disposals so if you are worried about doing it yourself, or you are unable, feel free to give us a call.
