Hidden Plumbing Problems: What to Look for

Maintaining The Plumbing In Your Home

4 December 2019

Herbert Chambers

The plumbing in your home may need some essential maintenance to keep it working correctly. Instead of waiting for a problem to occur, conducting plumbing maintenance can save money and frustration, and it can help avoid damage in other parts of the house as a result of a leak or other plumbing failure.

Cleaning Drains

One of the most common plumbing problems that people have is drains that are not working or drain very slowly. Slow drains are often a result of hair or other material getting into the drain and blocking the flow of water through the drain. 

The simple solution is to keep the drains clean or to add a cover over the drain that is intended to catch hair and other debris before it can get into the drain. You can buy hair snakes at your local hardware store or home center that will pull the hair out of the drain, or if you have a slow drain that you can not clear, call a plumber to come and clean it for you. 

Leaks and Drips

A small leak or drip from a pipe or fixture might not seem like a big deal, but over time, if you do not fix the leak, it will get bigger and could damage the wood around it. Many times the leak is at a joint that has a threaded fitting or valve under a sink or toilet. 

Tighten the fitting if it is leaking, but be careful not to overtighten it, because you could damage the fitting. If you can not get the leak to stop, you may need a plumber to come out and replace the gasket in the fitting or replace the line.

Main Line Cleaning

Another common area that you can have some issues and may want to address is the main sewer line in the home. Most lines have a cleanout near where they exit the house and run into the sewer system, allowing cleaning of the line. 

Hiring a plumber that offers sewer line cleaning services to come and clean that line every few years can ensure that it continues to work correctly. 

The plumber will open the clean out and use a high-pressure hose and water to break up any partial obstructions in the line and flush the drain for you. Cleaning the line regularly is an excellent way to head off problems before they happen and keep all the drains in your home working properly.  

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