Despite all your efforts to prevent issues through regular maintenance in a commercial plumbing environment, keeping your home clean and being prepared for various case scenarios when it comes to your household, completely avoiding the need for repairs is basically impossible.
Smaller problems such as hidden leaks in drains or a tiny patch of corrosion on the copper sitting might not seem serious at first, but over time, they can easily lead to significant damage in the system.
Clients often try to solve the issues with DIY methods, some of which would turn out well, but in many cases, calling a professional is the only effective and safe way of dealing with severe damage. Let’s take a gander at the most common plumbing repair jobs in our households:
Commercial Plumbing & Clogged Drains
Whether it occurs in your kitchen or bathroom, a clogged drain is usually more than just a nuisance. Signs include water forming pools around drains and then going down very slowly (often accompanied by gurgling sounds), a seriously unpleasant, rotting smell coming from the kitchen sink, or pools of water appearing close to the bathtub.
Avoiding clogs is sometimes impossible, however, you can decrease the chance of clogged drains by using a filter (or drain screen) in the shower to catch hair which otherwise would end up in the drains, being the most common reason of clogs in the bathroom. In the kitchen, you can also keep the system cleaner by avoiding pouring grease or pieces of food down the drains.
Dripping Faucets & Leaky Pipes
Apart from being a sign of poor water quality, a dripping faucet can also indicate damage in the system and further harm your drains, plumbing, and septic system. It is also incredibly wasteful: a faucet dripping at a rate of just one drop per second wastes 2082 gallons a year, causing serious damage to the environment and your wallet.
However, leaks can occur in other forms as well, from water or gas pipes, potentially causing serious damage to your household. Regular maintenance, and calling a professional if necessary, can prevent mold growth on hard surfaces, significant water or gas waste, or your boiler becoming unsafe due to system damage.
Running Toilets & Broken Cistern
If you notice your toilet constantly running water from the tank into the bowl, wasting a significant amount of water, you may consider calling a plumber. The reasons for a running toilet can vary from a silent leak or a loose fill tube to the flapper valve not fitting properly. Some of these issues can arguably be solved using a toilet repair kit, however, a silent leak needs professional repair, as it not only affects your water bills but also can easily lead to further damage in the toilet’s inner system.
Commercial Plumbing & Water Pressure Issues
Low flow and low water pressure are, again, seriously wasteful and frustrating problems which can occur in any household. The issue is also quite difficult to diagnose as it can affect a single fixture (such as a clogged showerhead or a more complex problem with the pressure-regulating system) or the whole house. The latter is often caused by an issue with the main water shut-off or the pressure reducing valve – these cases belong to the less serious category and can be solved by properly opening or replacing the valve.
The worst-case scenario can occur due to piping corrosion, caused by the aging of pipes and significant mineral build-up in them. The solution mostly means re-piping the whole house, which is a complex and expensive, but certainly necessary job in this situation. If you are about to move into a new home, you might consider asking the owners if the piping is made of steel, as such systems are especially prone to corrosion.
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