Plumbing issues are a fact of life when you own a home here in Toronto, whether it’s dripping faucets, slow drains, or a clogged toilet. But don’t just let them fester and worsen, which can end up costing you a lot of money – keep reading to find out how to deal with three common plumbing problems.
Dripping Faucets
A dripping faucet is more than an irritant, it can raise the cost of your water bill significantly. A faucet that drips one drop per minute can result in wasted water of around 130 litres a year – that’s a lot, when you really think about it, and depending on the cost of water in your area, this can result in a hefty bill of wasted water. For those wanting to see how much water their drip is costing them, there is a drip calculator here.
Repairing a dripping faucet usually requires no more than replacing the washer on your faucet. However, this does require turning off the water under the sink, dismantling the faucet and replacing the washer. If this sounds like a bit more than you wish to tackle, then it might be time to call the plumber, preferably one with years of experience and some good customer reviews (you don’t a bad plumber getting in there and making things worse). With a good plumber on speed dial, you don’t worry when plumbing issues arise in your drains or faucet – you just tackle the problem quickly and proactively.
Slow Drains
Slow drains can happen anywhere there’s a drain, and where the drain is can give you some indication what the possible clogging culprit is. If you have noticed a clog in the bathtub, then hair is probably the problem; and in kitchen sinks, it might be grease or food. In either case, the fix requires the removal of the clog by either removing it or breaking it up so it can move further down the system and out to the sewage drain.
If the clog is something that can be seen, such as hair in the screen over the drain in the bathroom sink, then removal is easy (if just a little unpleasant). However, if the source of the clog is not something that can be seen, then, again, it might be time to call a drain cleaning service. A drain cleaning service has tools that will reach the clog further down the pipe as well as tools such as cameras to ascertain exactly what the clog consists of.
Clogged Toilets
Clogged toilets can be a particular nightmare as the source of the clog is inevitably something unpleasant that most homeowners do not want to deal with personally. A toilet plunger can help move or break up the problem and get your toilet functional again. However if you suspect that the clog is caused by something other than what usually goes in a toilet, then a call to a 24/7 plumber is in order, as plunging can make the problem worse.
There you have it – those are the three main plumbing issues, how to spot them and how to deal with them. Although it may sound obvious, it bears mentioning that if the solution isn’t immediately clear, it’s good practice to call a plumber to look at the problem. You’ve heard the saying, “A stitch in time saves nine”. Well, “A call to the plumber saves a headache!”
