Common Plumbing Issues and How to Avoid Them

Every Baltimore home faces some plumbing issues at various times. Some issues can be resolved at home, while others require professional attention to fix. Additionally, these challenges affect different areas of a home’s plumbing system. But the good news is that most plumbing challenges are preventable if you know what to do. 

This post shares the leading ones and their preventive measures. Keep reading to remain on top of the preventive game.

1. Overflowing Toilets

The toilet is a critical plumbing installation, but it’s also vulnerable to various challenges like overflowing. Different issues cause overflowing toilets. For instance, kids may throw their toys in them, or you might use un-flushable products. Whatever the cause, you won’t enjoy this vital facility.

So, what do you do to prevent overflowing problems? Here are actionable tips to help you prevent this issue:

  • Keep all accessories away from the area near your toilet;
  • Always read all product labels before flushing;
  • Only flush dissolvable waste products;
  • Watch what your kids flush down the toilet; 
  • Always remove all items that fall into your toilet instead of flushing them.

2. Leaking Pipes and Faucets

Did you know that you could save up to 10 percent on your water bill by fixing leaks in your pipes and faucets? A leaking faucet dripping water every second adds up to over 3,000 gallons every year, a wasteful equivalent of 180 showers. Despite this wastefulness, leaking pipes and faucets are still common problems in many American homes. Further, they cause costly plumbing problems if you don’t prevent or fix them promptly. You can avoid these plumbing issues by:

  • Slowly turning faucets on and off;
  • Avoiding excessive pressure on faucet handles; 
  • Regularly inspecting pipes and faucets to detect leaking early, especially before winter starts;
  • Looking for moisture or small water drips.     

3. Running Toilets

Running toilets are wasteful plumbing issues, but you can prevent them. They could signal a leak in the system. Although these issues are difficult to deal with, you can avoid them this way:

  • Regularly check your toilet’s valve and water levels to ensure all the components work correctly and in their desired positions.

4. Water Heater Issues 

Water heater headaches are common plumbing challenges. They manifest themselves in different forms like water drips, water discoloration, strange noises, and water taking too long to reheat. Sometimes, you can troubleshoot some of these problems. But most times, you need to call a professional to deal with such plumbing issues because of their potential dangers. You can prevent these challenges by doing the following:

  • Regularly maintaining your water heater; 
  • Frequently checking the pressure valve;
  • Periodically flushing the tank to eliminate sediments;
  • Occasionally looking around the tank to check for drips and leaks.

5. Clogged Kitchen Sinks

Clogged kitchens aren’t just a nuisance; they are also a potential health risk if you don’t address the issues promptly. Pouring cooking oil, grease, and other fats could block your kitchen sink. These substances cool, solidify, and then stick to your plumbing pipes. Consequently, they clog the kitchen drains. You may prevent this problem by doing the following:

  • Draining grease and cooking oils into a separate container before disposing of them; 
  • Using a filter in your sink to stop food waste and other objects from washing down the drain;
  • Occasionally flushing the sink with hot water to melt away any solidified matter sticking to the pipes.

6. Low Water Pressure

Low water pressure is another plumbing challenge homeowners face. Mostly, this problem is common in old homes, although some new houses still experience it. This challenge increases the time you take to water your outdoor plants, wash dishes, shower, and clean clothes. 

However, you can do a few things to resolve this problem alone because it’s usually tricky to determine if a leak causes the low pressure or something else. So, you may try troubleshooting the problem by doing this:

  • Take time to read your water meter. You will need to shut off all your faucets inside and outside the house before reading the meter. Next, leave the water off for some two hours before returning to reread the meter. If you notice that the readings have increased, it’s most likely that the system is leaking. Here, you will need to call a plumber to fix this problem.

Plumbing issues are faced by people everywhere. However, they are preventable, and those you can’t prevent are solvable with the help of a professional plumber. It’s up to you to use the insights this post discussed to do the right thing and get the most out of your plumbing system.