Tips for common plumbing problems
You’ve got plumbing problems, and you wanna try fixing it yourself. We get that! Whether it’s a faucet, toilet, water heater, or clog, we’ve got some DIY tricks and tips that could help you solve some common problems on your own.
DIY Tricks for Your Faucet
You might think faucet repairs are easy, but you can risk serious damage to your home’s plumbing if you don’t get things just right! Still wanna give it a shot? Here are some things you can try:
- If you have low water pressure in your sink: try unscrewing the aerator to see if it’s clogged. The aerator is a little piece on the very end of your faucet. If you don’t see yours or yours doesn’t come out, it might need a special key to get it off. Fortunately, our plumbers have what they need to handle that! Word of advice: If your aerator looks corroded, do NOT remove it! Chances are, it won’t go back on once you take it off.
- If your kitchen sprayer is stuck or hard to pull: it might be stuck on something under your sink. People often store bottles of cleaner under their kitchen sink, and your sprayer has a hose that lives under there. If that hose is catching on a bottle, it can be pulling on it, making it feel like something is wrong with your sprayer.
DIY Tricks for Your Water Heater
You wanna know if you can fix your broken water heater yourself. Fortunately, there are a few common issues that are easy to troubleshoot on your own:
1. Check to see if your water heater has fuel.
- If you have a gas water heater, make sure the gas supply valve is switched ON and your pilot light is lit.
- If you have an electric water heater, make sure it’s plugged in and the circuit breaker it’s connected to didn’t get switched to OFF.
2. Did the reset button trip? Electric water heaters have a high-temperature cutodd (also called a high-limit switch) that flips off when water inside your tank exceeds 180°F. This switch protects you and your family from scalding water! Pressing the button should reset your water heater, but if the switch flips again, something is wrong and it’s time to call a professional.
DIY Tricks for Your Toilet
If your toilet is giving you trouble, our plumbing team has a few tricks you can try:
- If your toilet flapper is leaking: Put food coloring in the tank water. If your flapper or flush valve seal are leaking, the food coloring will show up in the bowl. Now that you’ve found the leak, consider changing the flapper and/or flush valve and seals. Sound overwhelming? Don’t worry! Our plumbers know exactly what to look for and can handle this for you!
- If your toilet won’t stop running: Flush the toilet and lift up the float arm while the toilet’s tank is filling. After you manually lift the float, the fill valve should shut off. If it keeps running (or if it hisses), it’s defective and needs a professional’s help.
DIY Tricks for Your Clogged Drains
Chemical drain cleaners like Drano may look like a quick fix, and even if they get your water draining for a moment, they can do irreversible damage on your pipes! Products that are advertised as magical clog-clearing solutions use potent chemicals that corrode your pipes, leaving them vulnerable to leaks and cracks. That’s a good way to take your simple clog to a full-on catastrophe!
If you’re determined to try DIY methods to clear your clogged drain, we recommend you try a plunger. They’re not just limited to toilets! Stores even sell shorter plungers that are great for backed up sinks or showers.
At Your Wit's End with Plumbing Issues?
Plumbing repairs are trickier than they look. If you tried repairs on your own and they didn’t work out—or if you didn’t DIY at all—we’re here for you! Our plumbers have spent a LOT of time training and mastering their skills to get to where they are now. They’re pros! You can trust we’ll get the job done the right way, even if it isn’t easy.
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