DIY Solutions For Common Plumbing Problems

Whether you own your own home, or are renting, plumbing problems such as a clogged toilet or dripping faucets are a part of life. Why wait for the plumber or potentially throw money at a problem that you can fix yourself? There are many tips and tricks to help with small plumbing problems that can avoid the frustration of having to wait for someone to fix it for you, and make you feel proud about stepping up and learning something about the inner workings of your home! And, don’t forget the folks at your local hardware store are generally very knowledgeable and happy to help, so start there! There are four common issues that many folks run into at some point, and that are really quite simple to repair, so lets dive in, shall we?

4 Common Plumbing Issues

There are four problems that may commonly arise in the average household, that are easy to repair. They are:

• Clogged toilets
• No hot water 
• Slow draining sinks
• Low water pressure

Clogged Toilet Or Running Toilet

The most common issue with toilets running is that the rubber flapper loses its shape, and can cause improper sealing of the the tank. In some cases, the chain attached to the flapper can become twisted and causes the flapper to remain afloat, which can cause the toilet to continue running if not adjusted properly. Simply remove the cover from the tank (assuming you do not have a wall mounted toilet) and check out the situation. Replacement parts are available at your local hardware store.

Luckily, you can solve all these issues by conducting DIY leak tests on the toilets using food coloring; you put a few drops into the tank and wait for 25 minutes. If the food coloring spreads into the toilet bowl, then your toilet is leaking. The employees at any large hardware store can help you with replacement parts, just ask!

As far as a clogged toilet goes, every household should have a plunger on hand, and if clogged toilets are a regular occurence then taking stock on what is going into the toilet is very important. Not every toilet and every plumbing system can handle large quantities of tissue, and certainly not, in most cases, wipes!

Hot Water Crisis 

If you are especially handy and you suspect a problem with your water heater, you can at the least do some simple electrical tests to evaluate the problem, which might just be faulty wiring, and not a huge problem. But ALWAYS turn off the breakers and do not proceed if you don’t have any idea what you are doing!

There is a simple electrical product called a continuity tester, which is used to determine if an electrical path can be established between two points; that is if an electrical circuit can be made. The circuit under test is completely de-energized prior to connecting the apparatus. With this simple tool, available at your hardware store you can do tests to determine where the problem exists in the wiring. Of course again, SHUT OFF THE ELECTRICITY via the breaker box before conducting any test or giving the continuity tester a try.

Slow Draining Sinks 

A slow draining sink can be very annoying and is one of  the most common plumbing issues that most folks face. It generally occurs when the stopper in the hole gets full of hair and debris, which causes it to slow down and clog up the sink. All you need to do to fix your sink is remove the stopper in the sinkhole and clean it out; yes, it’s that simple! I suggest putting on some gloves as it might not be the best thing to actually touch, yuk. There will be instances where the situation is not so easy to solve, and according to California-based specialists from All Service Plumbers, there are clogs that can only be taken care of by a professional, so make sure that you contact a reliable plumbing service in your area. And it is recommended to have a professional give your plumbing system a check up every once in a while anyway to make sure that everything is okay with the very important inner workings of your home!

Low Water Pressure 

You’ll typically be able to spot decreased pressure of the water via the sink and the shower head in your bathtub as you’ll notice that the water just isn’t coming out with the force it usually does.

The best thing will be checking if both hot and cold water lines are affected. Once that’s done, you can quickly mend this issue by cleaning out the faucet aerator and cleaning out any debris or build-up preventing the water from going through as it should.

I hope these simple tips and tricks to repair some of the more common plumbing issues in your home have been helpful!  While of course a simple fix if you ‘ve done your research and have the proper materials might be preferable, sometimes contacting a professional plumber is the right way to go. Either way, learning just a little bit about plumbing each time a problem arises is a wise endeavor, it can save you time, money and frustration down the road!