Plumbing Nightmares: What Plumbers Won’t Tell You
Water can be the enemy. Too much or too little in the wrong places will eventually become a nightmare. Cold, or really hot showers, toilet backups, mold, floor damage, and drywall damage are all caused by water problems.
8 Plumbing Nightmares
Plumbing problems turn into nightmares because water causes damage to drywall, floors, insulation, framing, and house contents. It causes mold in basements and bathrooms.
Duct Tape Is Not a Plumbing Repair Kit
Duct tape is a “go-to” problem solver for many people. Don’t use it for plumbing repairs. Drain pipes and water lines start leaking again–sometimes very quickly. Making for a recurring nightmare.
Clogged Drains
Water does not cause clogs but it is the inevitable result of things you should never put down a drain. Sink and tub overflows only work if the drain is not clogged. Clogged drains leave you washing in or standing in filthy water and operating a plunger in the hopes of cleaning things out.
Clogs are caused by hair, grease, and other stuff that plugs drains. Without regular maintenance and cleaning almost every drain will clog at some time in its life.
Dripping Faucets
Listening to a dripping faucet in the middle of the night is annoying. It is also the sound of wasted water and money–especially if it is the hot tap. Drips are usually caused by worn washers. They will continue to get worse and may eventually start leaking under sinks and tubs. Water with iron stains sinks.
Replacing washers is not difficult–with the correct size replacements. Remember to turn off the water supply before disassembling the faucet.
Sewer Backup
Sewer backups are much more serious than clogs. They occur in the big lines that run under the house and connect to the municipal sewer system. These major clogs are caused by tree roots, old age, and collapsed lines.
Sewer backups are a major nightmare. They usually require large excavations in the yard and possibly breaking up concrete basement floors. The homeowner is responsible for the lines on his/her property and will have to pay for the job. It is not a DIY project.
Toilet Leaks
Toilets have multiple ways of becoming nightmares.
- Clogs and backups. Toilets usually clog because of items you should never flush down your toilet. Plunging the toilet is not pleasant but almost always succeeds in solving the problem. Pour a couple of large pails of water down after to make sure the lines are clear.
- Running continuously. As annoying as a running toilet is, repairs are usually easy and cheap. Replace a flap and/or adjust the float.
- Overflowing. A clogged toilet combined with a continuously running tank pours a lot of water onto the floor in a fairly short time.
- Leaking. Wax rings that seal the toilet to the drain pipe eventually wear out and water leaks onto the floor.
Leaking Pipes and Water Lines
Pipes start leaking and even burst when frozen or corroded and weak. Undetected leaks lead to wall and floor damage and mold. Burst pipes cause floods and even greater damage. Finding small puddles of water may be an indication you have a leak.
Hot Water Tank Problems
Showers too hot, too cold, or lacking pressure often indicate water heater problems. You may also hear strange noises or the overflow pipe on the tank is dripping. Water heaters that are not drained regularly do not last as long and become inefficient. You are wasting money daily on extra energy costs. Replacing the water heater is usually best left to professionals, so the longer each one lasts, the less cost.
DIY Self-Inflicted Wounds
Many men and some women think, “How hard can plumbing be?” Plumbers can cost over $100.00 per hour. Doing the job yourself saves money. Until it doesn’t. Some plumbing repairs are fairly easy without catastrophic consequences but even small jobs can become a nightmare quickly. Cross-threaded, leaks, not fitting, wrong tools, etc.
- Changing taps and washers.
- Replacing toilet flaps and handles.
- Plunging toilets and drains.
Calling a plumber to tackle more complicated projects saves money before things go wrong. Plumbers don’t charge more if you messed it up first. Making it right just takes longer and costs extra.
- Installing dishwashers.
- Replacing hot water tanks.
- Replacing lines and drains.
- Serious drain clogs.