Top 3 Most Common Plumbing Problems and How to Fix Them
Everyone had experienced plumbing problems every once in a while. To have a safe, convenient, and wonderful quality living, you need to get your plumbing system in order and definitely in good shape. Plumbing problems may range from a simple leaking faucet to slow draining toilet. As this might be the case, there are some plumbing problems that are quite more common compared to others. Thankfully, most common plumbing problems are easier to fix and it takes not much expertise.
In this post, let us explore the different common problems pertaining your plumbing and how to fix them as well.
1. Blocked sink trap
The sink trap is one ingenious design of a sink that is designed to allow plumbers to remove clogging material easier and faster. In the previous sink design, if a foreign object gets inside the drain, it will immediately get deep down the pipe, thus making it very difficult to remove the debris.
The sink trap is the “U” shape pipe underneath your bowl. If your sink is slowly draining, then you might want to check your sink trap and dismantle the whole pipe.
To fix your blocked sink trap, you need a bucket, wrench, and a pair of pliers.
First, you need to place the bucket underneath the trap to prevent the floor from getting wet. Use the wrench to undo the slip nut. Usually there are two slip-nuts and you have to loosen both of them to be able to open the pipe. If you don’t want to leave scraped markings on the pipe, you might want to put tape on it before you use the wrench.
After loosening the slip nuts, you can now remove the sink trap. Check out the inside of the pipe and determine where the clog originated. A small toothbrush can be used to clean the inside of the sink trap.
When you finally removed the foreign material and you are sure that the clog is gone, then you can put back the sink trap again to its original place. Make sure that you adequately tightened the slip nuts, but not too tight as this may lead to another problem in the future.
2. Clogged toilet
No one wants to fix a clogged toilet especially if it is used and soiled before it broke. As this might be the case, you need to inevitably face the problem.
Fixing the problem will require you to have a plunger, old rag, plumbing snake, and clothes hanger.
When using the plunger, you need to make sure that it is fully submerged into the water. This will help the plunger to be sealed with the bowl. After you are sure that you have made a seal, you should push up and down the plunger to dislodge the clog. Make sure that you do it slowly, but with firmness.
Next option is to use a metal clothes hanger. Unravel the hanger and stick one tip inside the bowl and wiggle it around. Hopefully, with this motion the clog will dislodge. If the metal clothes hanger fails, you can alternatively use a plumbing snake as this is longer and more flexible.
3. Low water pressure
The main culprit of low water pressure is dirt build-up. Sometimes, this dirt will get so thick that it will suppress water pressure. Low water pressure may happen in any faucet or shower. If it happens in the faucet, then you can just dismantle the faucet and clean it thoroughly. In case, the shower is showing signs of low pressure, check if the problem persists in both the cold and hot water. If yes, then you need to clean the aerator.
These are the three most common plumbing problems in every household. Usually, most plumbing problems need critical thinking and problem-solving skills. So in case you run into a plumbing problem, just analyze it and I am sure you will figure out how to fix it yourself.
