How to Fix the Most Common Plumbing Problems

Plumbing problems are common and they recur from time to time. Your trouble is greatly reduced in case there is a professional plumber near at hand. If however there is no one nearby it is better to master some basic skills in plumbing. For your home you would be needing an adjustable pipe wrench, sink auger, toilet auger, a flange plunger, a cup plunger, a faucet valve seat wrench, faucet packing and washers, faucet valve reseating tool,and a Teflon tape. Equipped with these you could manage to take care of recurring plumbing problems.

Recurring plumbing problems are dripping faucets, leaking pipelines, clogged drains, running toilets, and low water pressure. These problems could be taken care of effectively with a little patience.

Dripping faucets

Everyone is familiar with this problem be it in home or workplace. Dripping faucets could either be caused by washers turning hard due to age or spindle thread cutting. For either case replacement is the only solution as these are irreparable. Before beginning replacement procedure it is essential to turn off the water supply to your affected pipeline. The sink drain must be covered with a cloth so that no debris goes in. Normally compression and cartridge type faucets are used in homes. Compression type faucets work with washers while cartridge variety has an ‘O’ ring that works as a sealant.

Faucets have a decorative cap which is to be unscrewed. This decorative cap has to be removed first followed by the handle screw. After unscrewing the stem get the washer replaced. These washers over several months turn rigid and are unable to prevent water from flowing. For cartridge faucets the ‘O’ ring is required to be replaced. For softening washers or O-rings, plumber’s grease might be used.

Leaking pipelines

Leaking pipelines could cause extensive damage to walls, floors, and other fittings in your bathroom or kitchen. These are caused by white lime deposits or rust. Nowadays polyurethane pipelines are used instead of galvanized or cast iron pipes. These are non-reactive, rust proof and does not form lime deposition. In case any leaking pipelines are noticed the best solution is to get that particular length replaced.

Clogged sewerage or soil pipes

Clogged sewerage outlets is another common problem faced by householders. To unclog drains Norwich it is not always necessary to take professional assistance. This problem could be taken care of easily by using a pair of nose pliers. Soil pipes usually get clogged because of hair strands. With the help of needle nose pliers these hair strands are to be removed. Clogging of drain pipes in kitchen could be due to presence of food particles. After months of use, debris from dishes keep on depositing inside these pipes ultimately jamming them completely. The best tool to remove such clogs is an ‘Allen wrench’. At the bottom of a disposal pipe there is an opening for inserting this tool. You need to just insert this wrench through this opening and turn in both clockwise and anti-clockwise directions to remove the clog.

Trenchless sewer repairs are a fast, minimally-invasive and cost-effective alternative to the traditional method of fixing damaged sewer pipes. In comparison to the traditional methods, trenchless sewer repairs are known to be very fast. Repairs that used to take days, now take only hours. When our crew is done, you won’t need to spend thousands of dollars to put everything back together again.

Running toilets or cisterns

Cisterns overflow when the inlet valve stops functioning. This inlet valve stops the flow of water inside a cistern after water reaches a definite level. The fault could lie in the float, or the valve itself. In case the float is damaged it is needed to be replaced. Often the valve itself gets clogged and sops functioning. In such a case, the valve is to be taken out, cleaned and replaced.

In case there is running water in spite of the inlet valve working fine, then the problem lies with the outlet valve. There is circular flap that controls water flowing out from a cistern. This flap might get worn out or torn because of repeated use. Replacing this defective flap resolves your problem of running toilets.