Common Plumbing Problems

Plumbing systems are one of the most complex and delicate systems in your home. Not to mention the fact that they are probably the single most important system in your home besides the structure itself. You can live without heating, air condition or electricity, but living in today’s world without pipes would be difficult and disgusting. With that being said, there are several things that can go wrong in your pipe system that can lead to it being shut down until it gets fixed. In this article we will review some of the potential problems you could run into with your pipe system.

The first and most common plumbing problem most people will run into at one point or another is a stopped up toilet. A toilet is essential to a sanitary environment in the home. Without it, you would have no place to dispose of feces and urine, so it’s very important that it runs as expected. When it’s stopped up, it’s usually because of a blockage in the drainpipe due to a foreign object or toilet paper. When the problem is toilet paper, it can be easy to fix because toilet paper is made to leak up in water. A few pumps of a plunger should do the trick and get your drain moving freely again. When it’s a foreign object blocking the toilets drainpipe, it can be a different story. Most of the time you are going to need to call a plumber with a snake to get the object out of the drainpipe. The plumber will be able to shove the snake down the drain and hopefully remove the object without a major issue.

The second most common plumbing issue people run into is a leaky pipe. A leaky pipe can make a wet mess under a sink and lead to huge water bills. You should have the problem fixed as soon as possible. Most leaky pipes come from a connection where two pipes meet. The problem can usually be easily fixed. To fix the problem, you simply turn the water off at the main valve to the house, drain the water left in the line and diagnose the problem. It will either be a bad part, a bad connection or a lack or putty, Teflon tape or plumbers glue. Whatever it is, simply replace or fix the problem and turn the water back on. Sometimes pipes can leak due to being punctured by a foreign object. When this happens, turn the water off at the main again and drain the water. Then simply replace the part from connection to connection to solve the problem.

Plumbing problems happen often to homeowners and usually occur when they are least expected. By knowing the most common problems, you can better prepare yourself for them and will be able to handle them better when they do arise.