Common Plumbing Problems and How to Fix Them – DIY Plumbing Problems and Solution

You must have encountered some distressing plumbing problems in your house. It could have been flooded or clogged toilets, dripping faucets, clogged drains, or even broken pipes with leaking or dripping water in all directions. The situation becomes worse when you have to call professional plumbers who may charge hefty Plumbing Services costs for a few hours’ work. However, you can save a significant amount of money that would have been used to hire plumbers by doing some common DIY plumbing works and fixing minor plumbing problems yourself and in less time.

Common Plumbing Problems and How to Fix Them

Most common problems in plumbing systems arise due to excessive or careless usage that causes some parts to wear out, particularly the fixtures and faucets. Blockages in the sewage water path are one of the major causes of drainage clogging. Blockages in the pipe or trap can also cause flooding of a toilet. Although a pump or a plunger can be used to handle most blockage problems, some knowledge is required to solve more critical and advanced plumbing problems.

Dripping Faucet: A dripping or leaking faucet indicates that washers have worn out and should be replaced. The seals or washers of the compression faucet are always under pressure and may wear out much faster. If the replacement is not done on time, they might corrode fixtures, stain sink bowls, and wastewater. Since ball, cartridge, and disc faucets are washerless, they’re less susceptible to dripping as opposed to compression faucets. However, they have some moving parts sealed by O-rings that may require periodical replacements. Therefore, the majority of dripping problems associated with faucets are majorly wearing out of the parts, based upon the kind of faucet.

Scaled Up Shower-Head: Hard water is usually associated with the scaling of showers. The salts present in hard water accumulate to form a layer on the showerhead, which makes it quite difficult for water to actually come out. Therefore, in case you have to use hard water, ensure you select a showerhead with a rubber faceplate. This allows you to rub and get rid of particles frequently. A quick way to fix an extremely clogged showerhead is to remove the faceplate and dip it in white vinegar for about 12 hours. A stiff nailbrush or toothpick may be used to remove the loose scales.

Bath Tub Spa Jets Do Not Work: If the bathtub spa jets stop operating, check the circuit breaker of the electrical panel to see whether it has tripped or not. If it trips, it would need manual resetting. In case that doesn’t work, check your user’s manual to see whether the pump has got a “high-limit-manual-reset” or a different circuit breaker in the system. If it has any of these, try if resetting can help.

Toilet Plumbing Problems: If water does not quickly drain away from the WC when you flush, that means there is a blockage in the pipe or in the trap from your toilet to the dust stack. All you need to fix this problem is a toilet plunger. You may also use augers or wire snakes to clear the blockages.

Clogged Drain: In case your drain is flowing slowly, it indicates that the vent system is blocked. You can use a chemical drain cleaner for clearing a slow-moving drain. You may also plunge the drain or even use a wire snake to clear the clog.