Household Plumbing Problems to Watch For

There are many reasons plumbers get called out to households, from simple maintenance plumbing to dealing with absolute disasters. What’s amazing is how many of those plumbing disasters could have been avoided by simply dealing with smaller, common issues before they got out of hand.

Here are some problems to keep an eye out for – catch them early and save yourself a headache.

Househould Plumbing Problems

Taps That Won’t Stop Dripping

When the washer in one or more of your taps wears out, you’ll find that you suddenly can’t turn your tap off properly. Constantly dripping water is so annoying it’s actually used as a form of torture. Apart from slowly driving you mad, there are other problems with a leaky tap. For one thing, your water bill will start to rapidly increase as the leak worsens. For another, if you or one of your children accidentally leaves the plug in the sink overnight you will wake up to flooding.

Even more worryingly, if you let the problem go on long enough then the leak may actually corrode the valve seat, necessitating expensive repairs. Don’t just ignore that tap, call a plumber and get that washer replaced.

Reduced Water Pressure

Low water pressure will ruin your morning shower and start you off with a negative outlook for the day, but that may well be the least of your problems. At best, you may have a build up of sediment and other deposits in your shower or taps aerators, which will need to be removed and cleaned.

If this doesn’t work, there could be much more serious problems at the root of the low flow – leaking or broken water pipes. These more fundamental problems could end up damaging your home’s infrastructure and foundations. Make sure you call a plumber straight away if the water pressure in your home drops and you can’t find the reason.

Pipes That Leak

Leaking pipes can cause a range of problems, ranging from water damage and flooding to structural damage in your home. The most immediate concern with leaking pipes is increased utility bills; severe leaks that go undetected or ignored can lead to truly massive water bills and it is a home or business owner’s responsibility to take care of these problems.

Now, leaks under your kitchen sink will usually be found pretty quickly; however, leaks can occur anywhere there is a join in your plumbing, and most of your water pipes are out of sight. That’s why it’s important to have regularly scheduled maintenance plumbing or a CCTV plumbing inspection so a professional can detect these problems before they get out of hand.

Blocked Drains and Toilets

Blocked drains and toilets can cause problems, ranging from minor annoyances like waiting 5 minutes for the water to drain to disgusting disasters like toilet water flooding your home. Blocked drains should be fixed early because they will only compound and get worse over time. A plunger may help to mitigate the problem but will never remove the entire blockage.

Chemical drain cleaners can also be used to break up the blockage. For really serious or recurring drainage problems, you’ll need a professional plumber. They can safely and thoroughly remove the blockage and hopefully find a way to prevent it happening again, such as by installing pipe relining.