Plumbing is one of the country’s biggest and most common home-related problems, however, not every plumbing issue requires the professionals to be called out. More often than not, simple plumbing problems can easily be fixed by you, the homeowner, without having to spend much money or carry out technical tasks.
Before you pick up the phone and give San Diego plumbers a call, look at the situation properly and consider whether it is something you are capable of handling. Of course, it is always best to call out a professional plumber if it’s a serious plumbing issue or one which is delicate and could cause damage or injury if done incorrectly.
Here are some simple home plumbing tips:
#1: Clean Blockages with a Drain Snake
By far one of the largest plumbing problems in American homes is clogged up drains. When water is draining from your bathtub or sink slowly, many people assume there is a sinister problem lurking down their pipe network.
Usually, this problem is down to the fact that there is some debris clogging up the pipes which can easily be removed without calling a plumber or resorting to harsh chemicals. Kitchen sinks and bathroom drains get blocked up with bits of food and hair, and this can easily be shifted along by inserting a drain snake and pulling the blockage out.
#2: Replace Small Problem Parts
Over time, some of the smaller parts which are found on taps and in your toilet cistern can wear down, come loose, or fall off. Whilst taking apart your piping under the sink or around your toilet is a sure-fire way to flood your house, there is nothing wrong with replacing a flapper in a toilet (a common cause of leakage) or a cartridge within your faucet.
There are plenty of handy instructional videos available online which can demonstrate how to carry out these simple home DIY plumbing tasks. Calling out a professional to do these is not efficient, both in terms of their time and your money.
#3: Use Tape on a Leaking Showerhead
Thread tape can be used to fix a showerhead which is dripping and won’t stop. When you have a constantly dripping showerhead, the likely culprit is that some of the threads are not connecting tightly enough and this can be fixed by unscrewing the showerhead and applying new thread tape tightly around it.
Again, there are plenty of instructional videos and guides available all over the internet which can show you how to do this for a range of common showerheads.
Plumbing issues are by far one of the biggest bug bears for home owners. When a plumbing problem arises, most of the time we will just call out a plumber without first assessing the situation to see if it is something which can be handled DIY style. Not only is this expensive for you, but it wastes your plumber’s time who could be working on a more important job. By properly assessing your plumbing problem and seeing if it is something you can fix yourself, everyone’s a winner.