What Are the Most Prevalent Plumbing Issues?
Plumbing issues are all too common. Even in newer homes, clogged drains or a water leak may appear when you least expect it. These are the most typical plumbing issues, whether you're living through repairs or an older home, or simply buying a new house and want to be prepared:
- Clogged toilet
- Clogged bath or shower drain
- Garbage disposal blockage
- Lacking hot water pressure
- Running toilet sewage smell in the house
- Sewage odor in your house from a blocked sewer line
- Backed-up sewage system
- Low water pressure
- Leaky faucets
- Leaking pipes
- Water heater repair issues
Why Should You Never Attempt to Unclog Your Drains Without the Assistance of a Professional Plumber?
When it comes to little blockages, you may be considering how a do-it-yourself remedy would work to unclog your pipes. However, DIY drain cleaning methods are never a full solution to plumbing issues. Drain snaking your drain with a wire hanger and pouring strong chemicals down the sink is one of many do-it-yourself drain cleaning techniques. Your drains are an important component of your home that must be treated with care and accuracy.
Although pouring Drano down your drain may seem appealing, a number of home remedies for drain cleaning can be ineffective or worse, harmful. At-home techniques for drain cleaning entail too much guesswork that only masks your plumbing concerns rather than resolving them all at once. Snaking your drain on your own only reaches surface clogs and blockages, not deeper ones within the pipe that are causing the actual issues. In addition, chemical drain cleaners include hazardous chemicals that form slime and sludge in your pipes, which can remain there for long periods of time. Instead of attempting to fix your plumbing problems yourself, contact us immediately.
What’s the Best Way to Clean My Plumbing System?
Your plumber will utilize a non-toxic Hydro Jetting treatment to clean your home's plumbing system. Schedule a hydro jetting session for your house every two to three years.
What Is Hydro Jetting?
We recommend a high-pressure water jetting procedure, which does not use chemicals. Our team can clean out blockages, debris, and tree roots by forcing water through your pipes at nearly 4000 PSI. Debris is blasted with a pressure of almost 4000 pounds per square inch, allowing wastewater and waste to flow freely through your plumbing.
How Can I Prevent Clogged Pipes From Occurring?
Clogged pipes can be a real pain in the neck. Whether it's a slow-draining tub or a major blockage in your main sewage line, getting to the source of the problem straight away will aid minimize further damage. The easiest approach to avoid clogged drains is to keep an eye on what goes down your drains and toilets. Here are a few tips:
- When using the garbage disposal, use cold water.
- If there is no garbage disposal, a drain strainer should be used.
- Grease or oil should not be poured down the sink.
- To rinse away grease from dishes, run hot water after they've been washed.
- Drain stoppers in the shower and bathtub should be removed to prevent blockages.
- Flush down any loose items, such as toilet paper, using the toilet.
- Every two to three years, inspect your septic tank and pump it if necessary.
- Coffee grinds, bones, grease, fruit peels, and other fibrous items should not be put in garbage disposals.
What Is Considered a Plumbing Emergency?
Although it would be nice, plumbing problems don't just happen during normal business hours. When leaks and blockages occur on weekends or in the middle of the night, you must decide if it is an emergency. Each homeowner will ultimately determine what constitutes an emergency, but our checklist may assist:
Is it only one faucet, drain, or shower that's having trouble? Is the problem confined to just one pipe and will wait until Monday morning? Can you turn off a water valve to stop the issue? If you can temporarily stop the problem, wait until regular business hours to call the plumber. Is the water still flowing? Call an emergency plumber if your water is entirely turned off (and not a municipality problem). Is there flooding in your home or outside of it? If a leaky pipe or water main break causes flooding inside or outside of your house, you're dealing with an emergency.
Do I Have a Water Leak?
Water leaks can be tough to detect if your house is constructed on a slab or your pipes run underground. The following are the most common indicators of a water leak:
- Floors that are wet or sponge-like
- The monthly water bill suddenly rose by a large amount.
- You hear the sound of running water coming from the walls
- Water pressure is low.
- One area of the yard is greener than another.
If you have any of these problems, call your local plumber for leak detection assistance.
What Is the Best Way to Repair a Slab Leak?
When a water pipe beneath your home's slab bursts or leaks, it is known as a slab leak. An underground pipe leak can cause the soil to get saturated, resulting in the slab shifting or sinking. A spot repair method is the most frequent way to fix a slab leak. If old or damaged piping under the slab requires re-plumbing or relocation, a pipe bursting or pipe relining method may be recommended.
How Long Do Water Heaters Typically Last?
The average lifespan of a water heater is 8 to 12 years. Maintaining your device on a regular basis will aid in the unit's longevity. Drain the water heater once a year if you have a traditional tank to remove any sediments and minerals that may accumulate at the bottom of the tank. Call your local plumbing company for water heater repair or replacement services for assistance with this.
What Is the Optimum Temperature for a Water Heater?
The ideal water heater temperature is determined by a variety of things. The EPA recommends a range between 120 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Too cold of a temperature and bacteria can grow, posing a threat to your family's health and safety. If the temperature is set too high, you'll waste energy and risk scalding burns from the water if it's used excessively.
What Should I Do if a Toilet Is Clogged?
Clogged toilets are an annoyance to your house and can lead to serious health issues if waste isn't disposed of correctly. If your toilet isn't working, try one of these methods for unclogging it:
- Plunger: Plunge the plunger several times around the toilet drain to seal it. If the plunger doesn't work, try a plumbing snake.
- Plumbing Snake: A plumbing snake, sometimes called a drain snake, may be used to remove a clog from the toilet drain.
If none of these suggestions work, and the water from the toilet is not releasing, contact your local plumber immediately.
When Is It Time to Replace My Toilet?
It may be time to replace your toilet if you have continual problems with it. A few indicators that it's time to replace your toilet are as follows:
- Constant clogging
- Several flushes needed after each use
- Age (toilets over 10 years old aren’t energy efficient)
- Leaks that continue to occur
Will You Have to Rip Up My Lawn to Repair the Sewage Line?
When using a trenchless sewer repair method, we can finish most sewage line repair work without digging. Traditional sewage repair generates a double cost to homeowners due to the necessity of repairing the sewer line as well as dealing with yard care, driveways, and floors. Our experts can solve your plumbing issues while reducing damage to your property with trenchless sewage line repair.
Common trenchless sewer repair types include:
- Pull-in-place lining
- Inversion lining
- Epoxy coating
Each of these processes has its own set of standards and pricing scale.
How Can I Prevent Tree Roots From Clogging My Pipes?
Tree roots that enter your plumbing can cause substantial damage if left unaddressed for an extended period of time. Tree roots may penetrate belowground pipes, disrupting the flow of water and waste to and from your home. Try one of these solutions to avoid tree root damage:
- Tree Removal: If the tree continues to be a problem, have it cut down by a professional arborist. Because of the small amount of labor required to repair your plumbing on a daily basis, the cost of tree removal will be insignificant in comparison.
- Root Barrier: Install a root barrier around each new tree by digging an 18 to 24-inch trench circling the root zone and filling it with dirt. The roots of the trees will not be able to invade your pipes as a result of the barrier.
- Routine Plumbing Maintenance: Every two to three years, have your camera inspected to catch invasive roots. You may detect minor plumbing problems before they become costly repairs.
- Sewer Line Cleaning: The usage of hydro jetting to clean your pipes is a green method of pipe maintenance. The high water pressure can cut through obstructions, waste, and tree roots.
Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Burst Pipe Damage?
Broken pipes are one of the most frequent homeowner insurance claims. If the damage was unavoidable, most insurance companies will cover leaks or burst pipes. To prevent broken pipes or leaking appliances:
- Caulk and seal tubs and showers fully.
- Examine for leaking faucets indoors and outside.
- If you reside in a cold region, insulate your pipes.
- Visually inspect the hose of your dishwasher or washing machine for cracks and tears on a regular basis, and replace as needed.
How Can I Prevent Pipes From Freezing?
Follow these pipe insulation steps to avoid frozen pipes:
- Before installing insulation, run the heating cable along the pipes to keep them at a consistent temperature. The wire will maintain the pipes at a constant temperature.
- Examine the outside of your house for any visible cracks near the foundation or basement. Cracks should be filled using spray foam or caulking.
- To prevent your outdoor faucets from freezing, turn off the water valves. Allow any extra water to drain before then cover the faucets with an insulating dome to prevent ice from forming.
- Open the cabinet doors so that the warm air in your house may reach the pipes beneath your sinks.
- Have your HVAC system inspected annually to avoid it from breaking down during the winter months. Extreme cold may put a strain on your pipes quickly.
- Allow your faucet to drip a tiny bit of water slowly. Running the water somewhat will assist avoid frozen pipes.
Our experts are here to assist you with keeping your house in excellent working order. We'll assess the issues, talk about the issue, and offer straightforward solutions to get your property back to normal right away. For all of your plumbing or HVAC needs, contact us today!
