As a homeowner, you likely face a multitude of seemingly never ending maintenance issues, from the roof down to the basement. Among them, plumbing issues can be the most common, and frustrating. Leaking faucets, clogged drains, running toilets, and – here’s where it can get serious – flooded basements. Here’s some detail on these, and more. It’s always a good idea to enlist the expertise of a professional plumber when quality work needs to get done. Fortunately, there are good plumbing services in Toronto you can rely on to ensure a top quality, long-life repair or installation to avoid headaches in the future.
Leaking Faucet
These can be annoying, from the drip-drip-drip sound effects they produce, to the invisible added water usage they are responsible for. That one-drip-per-second annoyance can add up to hundreds if not thousands of wasted litres of water annually. Your faulty faucet could be due to a worn O-ring, or a bad washer, or even a clogged aerator assembly. It can get a bit complex and it should be tended to by a professional, who can ensure that a “repair” attempt doesn’t turn into a fiasco.
Slow Draining Sink
It’s incredible what inadvertently makes its way into your pipes through your sinks. Everything from hair and soap in the bathroom, to food and congealed fat in the kitchen, can find its way into the plumbing pipes. While home fixes may be tempting, many times they simply don’t work. In the case of some store-bought chemicals, they can also do damage to the environment, and also to the pipes. Many items that get stuck in the pipes will just sit there, until the drains are professionally addressed. Still, you can learn a few DIY tricks so you don’t have to call the pros every time your sink gets clogged. It only takes a few minutes read about the best ways to unclog a sink, and some of the most effective techniques don’t even cost a dime.
Clogged Toilet
Certainly among the grossest plumbing issues, toilets generally get clogged by a mixture of toilet paper and human waste. That said, it’s amazing what people consider ok to flush. Bottom line is, if it gets clogged, and a plunger isn’t handy, or doesn’t do the trick, you’ll likely need to enlist the services of a plumbing service to free things up again, properly and safely. There’s nothing like an overflowing toilet bowl to make one reach for the phone to get to a qualified plumber.
Running Toilet
This little nuisance can add up to thousands of wasted gallons of water for the duration it remains unaddressed. It could be something as simple as a worn-out flapper valve. On the other hand, it may be that the whole toilet flushing assembly is due for replacement. It’s not the simplest of installations, although the mechanism itself is not a particularly expensive purchase. Then there’s the issue of identifying the correct one to go with your toilet, and then installing it in a watertight fashion, where all the components again do their job and the toilet stops running unneccesarily. Again dependent on your situation, consider help from a qualified plumbing service.
Leaking Pipes
These pesky weaknesses within your home’s plumbing system are often out of the way and unseen until significant damage occurs. Leaking pipes can be responsible for everything from damage to your floors, to increased humidity which invites pests which are drawn to its presence, such as cockroaches and other bugs. Copper pipes found in older homes are particularly susceptible to leakage due to the material’s inherent inability to withstand extreme temperature shifts. Corrosion can also contribute to copper pipe failure and leakage. Repair of pipe leaks by the homeowner can only be classified as temporary. You will need the expertise and equipment of a reputable plumbing service get this one right.
Sewer System Backup
This is the uglier and nastier cousin of “clogged toilet” above, only it’s far worse. There is almost no worse homeowner’s nightmare than to have water flowing the wrong way, from the sewer system into the house, rather than the other way around. The smell, the damage, the expense and the inconvenience. A great reason to have the number of a reputable and reliable plumbing service handy is in this awful scenario. You’ll need one, pronto if and when you encounter a sewer system backup.
Basement Flooding
Sadly, it’s not just a sewer system failure that can cause flooding, especially in your basement. There are multiple sources for potential basement flooding, related to plumbing issues. Burst pipes are an obvious culprit, but it could also be, for example, your hot water tank leaking, or failing clothes washer hoses, or even a malfunctioning sump pump. Damaged sewer lines represent among the worst possible scenarios. Fortunately with the aid of a qualified and reputable plumbing service, there are alternatives to digging to get to the failed sewer line. Your plumber can advise on the option of a trenchless drain or sewer line repair. Not only is this option cost-effective, it is also far less disruptive to your house and property.
Some Final Thoughts – Plumbing Issues in Your Home
The piping and drainage systems in your home are among the most prone to damage and wear over the long haul, due to the sheer number of parts and components, and their near constant use, day after day, year after year. In many if not most instances, a DIY approach when it comes to plumbing repair is not a viable solution, especially when you are seeking a permanent fix to a serious problem. The best policy is to source out a dependable, quality plumbing service ahead of time, so that the contact will be handy when it is needed most.
