7 Basic Plumbing Repairs Everyone Needs to Know
The sight of a flooded kitchen or bathroom floor is a good reason for despair. Without knowledge of plumbing intricacies, you have to look for expensive pay-by-the-hour professional support.
But did you know, there are a few plumbing repairs that don’t require a professional? Here are 7 basic plumbing repairs to lift some of the financial and emotional burden off your shoulders.
- Clogged Drains
Pesky drain clogs are amongst the most recurrent domestic plumbing issues. Installing a sink strainer cannot stall the inevitable for too long. But if you pay attention to the drainage slowing down, you can nip the bud in time.
You can also try the drain plunger if you want to avoid use of chemicals. Or simply use a solution of baking soda and vinegar. If none of these works, try unscrewing the pop-up drain and removing the blockage. Drain cleaning chemicals should be used as a last resort.
- Leaking Faucets
Leaky taps and showers waste a lot of water. The common cause of leaking is a faulty washer. When you see a visible leak, turn off the water supply first. Arrange a spare washer and wrench from the hardware store.
You can remove the tap or shower with the help of the wrench and replace the washer. Once you reassemble the fixtures, there will be no more leaks! Don’t forget to open the main water supply again.
- Fixing Shower and Tap flow
If the tap or shower is hardly flowing, it is a sure sign of collected debris, lime-scale and dirt in the holes of the fixture’s outlet. You must control the urge to directly pick on the holes with a safety pin or a toothpick.
We are not suggesting that you need to replace the tap yet. You can use a wrench to pull out the covering and dip it in a solution of vinegar. A better idea still, just take the solution in a bowl or a plastic bag and submerge the tap or shower head in it.
Now you can brush off the surface and pick the difficult spots with a wire or needle-pin. We guarantee a free-flow!
- Water heater leaks
Leaks are most likely caused due to faulty valves, loose fixtures or dirt build-up. Simply tighten the loose valve with a wrench. Be careful not to over-tighten it though. Just enough so that the valve is secure.
You may realize that the valve wasn’t loose in the first place, or that leaking doesn’t stop after tightening it. This situation calls for expert intervention of Atlanta plumbers.
- Pot that won’t flush
There is nothing grosser than facing a clogged pot, full of unflushed human excreta. It is unhygienic and unpleasant.
You can take on the herculean task of unclogging the toilet with a plunger. Cover your nose with a mask or scarf and be careful to avoid direct contact with the waste. You can also try to work the way down the drain using a plumbing snake.
In case the situation has turned beyond control, and the toilet has already overflowed, call a professional to the rescue.
- Flush tank that won’t refill
There are no telltale signs of a leaking flush, no puddle, no dripping. But if the flush tank is not refilling, you will soon figure out the culprit.
You need to open the flush tank and access the mechanics within. Check that the tube is firmly holding the valve shut and that the float isn’t too low.
- Repairing cracks in the pot
The toilet pot may leak if the sealant at the bottom has worn-out. Ignoring the issue for long can leave the bathroom floor stained forever. A quick fix is to apply water-proof plumbing putty at the base.
Conclusion
While these solutions are immensely practical, regular maintenance is a better place to start from. If drains and fixtures are cleaned regularly you can avoid frequent plumbing emergencies.