There are plenty of issues in your home that you can sweep under the carpet or turn a blind eye to. Squeaky doors, draughty windows, wonky shelves. Plumbing problems, however, are too serious to ignore. These issues only get worse over time and can result in leaks or even floods. So, if you have a faucet that drips or a clogged drain, it’s time to face the problem head on. Here are some of the most common issues to arise in the average home and how to best approach them.
Knowing When to Call a Professional
Sadly, major problems are going to require the special touch of a qualified professional. So if your home is experiencing major leaks, flooding or fountains of water spraying from pipes, you will need to contact a plumber. A trained individual will be out to fix your plumbing in no time.
Leaky Faucets
The steady drip of a leaky faucet is drawn on in common culture as an irritant that can keep even the heaviest of sleepers awake at night. But this isn’t the only problem that a little leak can cause. You will also end up mopping up pools of water every day. Because the problem is slow and not an emergency, you might try to ignore it for a while. But it’s better to tackle this problem early on, as it isn’t one that will rectify itself. So, how to go about putting a stop to the aggravating dripping? Well, this is a pretty easy one to fix yourself. To get to the source of a leaky faucet, look in the cupboard space under the sink. The leak will generally be due to a loose or broken washer in the curved water pipe. Disconnect the house’s water supply, place a bucket under the curved pipe and unscrew it. Drain the water out, give it a quick rinse and replace the washer (parts can be found at your local hardware store). Reattach the curved pipe and voila! Good as new.
Unblocking a Toilet
This isn’t the most glamorous of jobs, but it is something that we will all find ourselves doing at some point in our lives. A blocked toilet is extremely inconvenient. It can also result in flooded bathrooms if you continue to use it and flush the chain. You will need a few essentials before getting started with this job: a plunger, newspaper, bleach and rubber gloves. Place the newspaper around the base of the toilet, ready to soak up any leaks or overspill. If you know that the cause of a blockage is a children’s toy, dropped toilet roll or another object, put your rubber gloves on and make the dreaded plunge to fish it out. If the blockage is unknown, place the plunger in the toilet, seal it around the porcelain to create a vacuum and press down firmly. The cause of the blockage will be sucked up into the plunger and can be disposed of in a bin. Pour bleach and hot water into the bowl to dissolve any excess materials. Flush and the toilet should be working like new again.
