Who doesn’t love coming back home after a tiring day, wanting to rest and unwind only to be bothered throughout the night with the dripping noise of their bathroom faucet?
Or imagine getting in to take a warm shower, but the water pressure is disturbingly low. There’s nothing to panic about because issues involving plumbing are nothing new. Be it a new or an old homeowner, sooner or later, they deal with a few common water problems. Water problems particularly do not mean that you need to seek assistance from a professional and reliable plumber, at least not for trivial issues.
With the appropriate knowledge and correct tools, you will be able to handle most of these problems by yourself. Look out for the most common water problems at your house and their fixes to ensure your bathroom visits are enjoyable.
Table of contents
6 Water Problems at Your House and Their Fixes
1. Low or no water pressure
If you experience low water pressure challenges at home, it is not long before you might also experience no water pressure at all. Low water pressure can make it challenging to use any home plumbing system. To fix this difficulty, you must first discover the primary cause. Therefore, the first thing you need to do is check the faucet’s water pressure for hot and cold water.
One of the primary causes of low water pressure can be sediment build-up and calcium in the aerator. You can fix this yourself by soaking the aerator in vinegar to clear the build-up. If you are experiencing the same for your shower head, you can use vinegar and a toothbrush to scrub it off and a toothpick to cook off the loose deposits.
Even though the mineral deposit is a plausible reason for low water pressure, it can also be a symptom of other complicated issues like pipe corrosion, invisible water leaks, or blocked sewer lines. That is why it is crucial to detect the actual problem before looking for a fix.
2. The detriments of dripping faucets
If you say that you have never experienced dripping faucets before, you are sure to be mistaken. Dripping faucets is one of the most common water problems in every household once in a while, causing gallons of water wastage regularly. Assuming that your faucet trips only once a second, it makes up to 86400 total drips in a day. If this is the number for a single faucet, imagine two or more leaky faucets in your home!
From metal corrosion to rotting bathroom equipment, dripping faucets can have a detrimental impact on your home’s structural integrity. The best way to fix a dripping faucet is to install a new O-ring, depending on the type of faucet you have.
3. Leaky pipes from visible and invisible places
Leaky pipes are yet another usual homeowner’s worst nightmare which they might not even detect until an inspection takes space. Pipe leaks are even more common during winters when pipes freeze, causing them to burst. Corrosion, stubborn clogging, and high water pressure can cause pipes to crack. Irrespective of the cause, you mustn’t ignore that the issue can cause significant damage to your home’s plumbing system.
However, you can take the necessary measures to prevent pipes from freezing during winters by allowing the cold water to drip from the faucet served by the exposed pipes. Be sure to maintain a similar temperature to the thermostat during the day and night.
4. Running toilet or even worse- clogged toilet
A running toilet is a more wasteful version of a leaking faucet issue, wasting around 30 to 40 gallons of water per day that too for a small toilet. A running toilet is one water problem that might not get fixed by a couple of jiggles. You will need to call for professional help. If you thought that nothing could be worse than a running toilet problem, you are in for a surprise.
Clogged toilets can not only be annoying, but their smell also can be more detesting than a dump yard. Even worse, they can overflow and get all over your bathroom floor, indicating septic system damage.
Fortunately, you might not require a local professional plumber to fix the catastrophe. A few strong plunges will be enough to clear them. However, if the situation remains the same, you might need powerful tools and a professional to get your clogged toilet back in a healthy condition.
5. Surprisingly cold water even when turning on the water heater
Surprises are not always fun, and problematic water heaters are a great example. If you are facing issues with your water heater, you might not be able to fix it by yourself until and unless you are well aware of its parts and know the fixes thoroughly. A professional plumber for heater repair in Tulsa will be required To determine the source of the problem and the necessary treatment. The water heater issues can include:
- Rusting or deteriorating valves, causing the heater to flood the surrounding area.
- Poor water circulation due to rust or corrosion in the tank.
- Bacterial invasion in the tank, causing water to smell bad.
Moreover, rust, corrosion, or mineral deposits in the water tank are a few reasons for your water heater to give up frequently. This is even more so for households with a hard water supply. As a fix, you can clean out your existing tank with the help of an expert or consider replacing your water heater with an electric heater.
6. Bath and bathtubs that don’t drain as needed
Similar to your bathroom sink, bath and bathtubs can get clogged too. With shower products and hair getting deposited in the drainage channel over time, you can experience poor drainage conditions. If you do not wish to call a plumber, all you need to do is take a plunger and submerge it in the drainage channel completely. To improve the seal, you can apply petroleum jelly to the suction pad.
Another helpful tip for dissolving clogged debris is to add vinegar and baking soda to the clogged area. The same goes for your bathtub. If you love to enjoy the time spent in your bathtub, you must also be careful not to obstruct the water flow as it drains out of the tub.
Hair and debris are the most common objects causing problems, and you can fix this on your own. Grab a pair of needle-nose pliers and remove the debris stuck in the channel. Another great way to minimize this problem is to install a drain guard.
Get your home insured from water damage
Building a home might be one of your biggest dreams come true. However, keeping your home in a favorable condition is a larger task than building it and you might not want common water problems to ruin your dream. Therefore, you must understand the risk that your valuable property might encounter and consider homeowners insurance that covers water damage.
Typically, this type of homeowners insurance will cover damage to your personal belongings owing to pipe leaks and bursts. However, water damage insurance will reimburse you for damages caused to your valuable items if such damage was unanticipated and incidental.
Conclusion
Apart from these six common water problems, water stains, overflowing gutters, downspout issues, and sewer line issues make it to the list as well. However, there is nothing to panic about