Top 5 Common Plumbing Problems

If you have been living in your home or apartment for any length of time, you have no doubt acclimated yourself to the quirks of the building, those slight annoyances that you have to live with. However, the most common plumbing problems often occur in a way that only feels like one of those building quirks at first but ends up becoming a larger issue if you don’t take care of it on time. A local plumber or an online service such as Fix It Right Plumbing will be able to help you with any plumbing issues that arise. Here are the five most common plumbing problems you might encounter.

1. Water Bills

In many cases, large water bills are caused by plumbing leaks. This first indication of a plumbing problem is largely hidden, so it is one that you should keep an eye open for. If your water bill is unusually high for the time of year and your family, look around your home for dripping faucets and leaky showerheads. If there aren’t any visible explanations, think back to whether you have been using more water than usual lately. If you haven’t, this may be a sign that you need to call a plumber to find whatever leak may have happened in your more hidden plumbing.

2. Garbage Disposal

Garbage disposal is a useful tool, but it is also deceptively named. Putting large garbage items down the disposal, such as fruit and vegetable peels, paper towels, or coffee grounds, is a surefire way to wear down the gears and reduce the efficiency of your garbage disposal. When this happens, you risk clogging the drain in a way that isn’t easy to fix. If your kitchen sink’s drain starts smelling disgusting or has reduced water flow down it, you should call a plumber who can take apart the garbage disposal safely and figure out what the problem is.

3. Leaky Faucets

A variety of problems can cause leaky faucets. If you have been putting too much stress on the connections by hanging heavy objects off your shower head or your kitchen sink faucet, the connection between the faucet and the pipes may have worn down, causing the leaks. If you live in a place where there are freezing winters, leaky faucets can also be the first sign that you should check that your pipes aren’t vulnerable to icing or freezing. Since the pipes leading to faucets are thin, the change between a few millimeters can be drastic for those pipes. Both of these problems require a professional to sort them out.

4. Clogged Drains

Several activities commonly contribute to clogged drains. Pouring down things that the drains are not meant to handle, such as grease, fat, paint, or caulk, is a common reason for clogged drains. These materials are thicker than the pipes were meant to handle, and they can create hard clogs that are impossible to remove without professional assistance. On the other hand, clogged shower drains are often the result of long hair going down the drain and snagging on the pipes’ walls. If you have a shower or bath drain that is slow to do its job, try drain fluid and a drain snake and only call a plumber if you cannot fix the problem yourself.

5. Low Water Pressure

Low water pressure is a problem that you will often write off as a simple annoyance. After all, low water pressure doesn’t prevent you from using your faucets and toilet, so it is easy to write it off and ignore the problem. But low water pressure is one of the most serious indications of problems in the rest of your plumbing system. Clogs and leaks deep in your plumbing system are the most common issues that cause low water pressure, and those types of problems require a professional plumber’s help to combat them. By hiring a professional plumber, you can stop the damage from getting worse. This small expense can save you a lot of money in the long run, says PlumbingForce, a plumbing company in Rowley Regis.