Common Plumbing Issues Around the House

Possibly one of the greatest inventions of the 20th century was indoor plumbing. Being able to bathe, use the restroom, or even wash your clothes in the comfort of your own home is a convenience that many of us take for granted. The pipes that move water throughout your home are easily overlooked during your routine maintenance and cleaning. So when things actually break panic usually ensues and a large bill comes your way. But there are many common issues that can be easily explained then don't necessarily require you to call a professional to handle.

Probably one of the most common plumbing issues in older homes would be the creaking pipes. They moan and groan causing you to wonder what is wrong with your home. In reality the reason that your pipes are creaking is that hot water running through a metal pipe will cause that to expand slightly. When hot water stops running through the pipe the pipe cools off. This means the pipe will now contract. This expansion and contraction of the pipe causes a creaking or cracking noise. A simple fix for this would be to insulate the pipe. By insulating the pipe you'll be helping the pipe to maintain a constant temperature. You can also create a space around the pipe which will allow it to expand and contract without making noise.

Another common plumbing issue that causes homeowners problems is the running toilet. Everyone knows what a running toilet sounds like and everyone knows that that means you are wasting water. When your toilet is continuously running you can actually waist up to 200 gallons of water in a single day. The cause of this is simply a defective flapper. You can purchase kits to replace the rubber flap at your local hardware store. It usually only takes about thirty minutes to fix this problem.

Probably one of the most common plumbing problems would be the water temperature fluctuating while you're in the shower.
Generally you get a sudden burst of cold water while you're taking a hot shower when more water is turned on somewhere else in the house. The reason for this happening can be one of the many different issues. One big reason is that there sediment built up in the hot water heater. Over time hot water heaters will become full of sediment at which time it will generally have to be replaced. Other reasons for this happening include: clogged, corroded, or rusty pipes; closed hot-water shutoff valve; damaged hot-water heater temperature control; or blown up pilot light in the hot water heater.

Most of the common plumbing issues can be resolved without contacting a professional. However, there are going to the issues in which you should contact a trained professional to assist you. Even if your issue seems commonplace you should have the name and number of a trained professional on hand in case the issue is more than you can handle.