Plumbing problems can put a real damper on home life. But knowing which ones you can tackle on your own versus leaving them to professionals will save both money and stress. Common plumbing problems include clogged drains and toilets, leaky pipes and low water pressure. Here’s how you can solve them:

Leaks

Leaks in pipes can be an expensive and frustrating reality of homeownership, so when they occur it is imperative that immediate action is taken to mitigate its effect on both your home and belongings. While most leaks require professional repair services, here are three quick fixes you can try until help arrives from a plumber:

First, locate and switch off the water supply to the damaged section of pipe. Doing this requires finding and rotating counterclockwise the water valve found somewhere like your garage, basement or crawl space. When all liquid has been shut off, flush all toilets and open all faucets to drain any remaining stuff out and reduce pressure in your lines.

Once the water has been turned off, you should clean and prepare the damaged area for repair by wiping down its immediate surroundings and sanding away any visible damage or rust you find. If working on galvanized pipe, consider applying protective coating to its exposed surfaces to help with maintenance.

Another option is using rubber or silicone tape. While this will only work on copper waste lines, it provides a temporary fix until you can get professional help. Just ensure to use at least eight inches of tape and wrap directly over any pinhole leaks in order to be effective.

If you prefer more permanent solutions, this thread posits that epoxy putty may be an ideal choice to repair a leak. Easy to use and quick-hardening, this product provides a strong seal around affected pipe sections. As an alternative solution, slip coupling replacement projects may also provide long-term relief – although such work requires additional expertise than is typically available to most homeowners.

Clogs

Clogs are one of the most frustrating plumbing headaches, but taking action yourself could save time and money. To identify what’s causing the clog, start by identifying its cause – for instance if it’s just hair getting caught in your drain stopper, try taking steps such as taking off the stopper to free it up before using needle nose pliers (or tweezers) to extract as much as possible from within it using needle nose pliers; provided it doesn’t make its way further inside, this should do just the trick if this won’t solve it for good.

If the water still won’t drain, try using a plunger. Your specific plunger requirements depend on which fixture it’s being used with, but they should be available at most home improvement or hardware stores. Push and pull your plunger firmly for several seconds to create suction around the drain; repeat if necessary. If it’s an inflow issue such as in your sink or toilet you could also remove its P-trap and clean it out before trying the same approach; if that fails you could need to snake it instead

Chemical drain cleaners may seem like the perfect solution, but they often don’t perform well or damage pipes. If you decide to use one, be extremely cautious and follow the manufacturer’s instructions exactly – otherwise call in a plumber.

If multiple drains are taking a long time to empty or have stopped completely draining altogether, it could be indicative of an obstruction in the main lines that will need professional attention. Apollo Home offers professional drain clearing services and can schedule an appointment as soon as possible.

Low Water Pressure

If your water pressure suddenly decreases after turning on multiple faucets at once, this could be a result of too much simultaneous demand. Try scheduling showers, laundry and dishwashing at different times so as not to overload the system all at once.

If the issue continues, you might want to consult your plumber about reducing how much water each fixture receives at once. They can help determine whether your household is using too much or whether outdated pipes need replacing.

Corrosion of plumbing lines is another potential factor behind low water pressure (source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41545-023-00275-5). Corrosion occurs when oxygen reacts with metal and creates rust or other buildup that restricts water flow; this phenomenon is most prevalent among homes using older galvanized steel pipes but may also occur with copper and other types of pipes. Acidic water compounds this problem by hastening deterioration even further by dissolving metal faster.

Mineral deposits that build up in pipes may be possible to clean off, but this task should usually be left to professional plumbers. Working on your own pipes without proper training and tools is generally not advised; only attempt it if absolutely necessary. Corroded pipes may need replacement entirely – in this instance it is imperative to consult a professional right away.

Drain Cleaning

Soap, grease, hair and other debris build-up in drain pipes creates blockages that prevent water from flowing freely – this may result in backups leading to overflowing toilets or sinks and even overflowing cisterns. Clogged drains may be an indicator of more serious issues within your sewer pipe system so if you suspect an issue it’s important to contact a plumber immediately.

Regular drain cleaning can prevent clogs and slow drainage. A Charlotte plumber can utilize tools to thoroughly clear out your entire drainage and pipe system, inspect your pipes with a video camera to detect potential issues and provide recommendations for solutions. They are also skilled in doing so, performing such tasks on a regular basis.

If a drain is backing up or draining improperly, try running hot water through it for several minutes to help break up and flush away any build-up that might be clogging it. Or you could try plunging; make sure you purchase an appropriate model since different sizes and shapes of plungers exist for different kinds of drains.

Chemical drain cleaners can be effective at dissolving small clogs, and are widely available at hardware and grocery stores. If the issue persists despite using chemical cleaners, however, contacting a plumber might be necessary.