With the cold weather, icy roads and snowstorms, there are many unpleasant things to deal with in the winter. Maintaining your home can also be challenging in the winter especially when it comes to protecting your plumbing in cold temperatures. If you don’t want to be left without water, leakages, and cold water then read the following 3 winter plumbing issues and how to avoid them.
As many people have found out from the recent superstorm Sandy, serious basement flooding is no laughing matter. When water gets into your basement, it causes a lot of financial and emotional stress, and in extreme cases can alter your life. And while there isn’t a lot you can do if a megastorm comes calling, you can prevent basement flooding from regular heavy rain or melting snow if you follow some basic guidelines.
Seal Up Holes
Holes and cracks in the foundation of a home are some of the primary culprits when it comes to basement leaks and flooding during storms. It’s important to have a proper home inspection when you first purchase a home, and also have the foundation checked for problems if you’ve been living in your house for a while.
Basement windows are another area where water may get in, especially if they have older wooden frames that have rotted. If you have older basement windows, consider an upgrade to vinyl or aluminum to keep water out.
We all experience a clogged drain in our homes from time to time. Our first instinct is to grab the plunger and solve the problem ourselves. After all, professional plumbing services can be expensive, and we can save some time by just handling it right away. However, what appears to be a simple clogged drain may be more serious than that, and a plumbing expert may be required so that the problem does not become any worse than it is. Listed below are just a few drain repair services that would be best left to a professional plumber.
If you live anywhere that has running water, you know how troublesome it is when drains become sluggish and slow, or even completely blocked. It can certainly put a damper on your daily activities, depending on which drain is affected.
It’s wise to keep some basic drain cleaning equipment on hand, for when these inevitable clogs and back ups threaten to disrupt your day. Here are some good choices:
Despite your best preventative efforts, every homeowner has to face a clogged drain every now and again. When you think of how often the various drains in the typical home are used, you’d think it would happen even more than it does.
The Plunger
Even though calling in a professional plumber will solve your clogs, it probably isn’t necessary for minor clogs. Whether it’s in the kitchen, bathroom or laundry room, be prepared and keep it simple.
A standard-issue plunger is definitely one of the most unglamorous pieces of equipment you’ll use in your DIY efforts. However, it is one of the simplest and most effective pieces of equipment you will use, and it works for most small to medium clogs in sinks, tubs, showers or toilets.
As far as home plumbing is concerned, your bathroom is the premier room in the house. The tub and shower, sink and toilet all have important plumbing elements to consider.
Naturally, calling a qualified plumber is your best bet when you encounter serious plumbing issues in your bathroom. However, if you follow some expert bathroom plumbing tips, you may be able prevent such problems in the first place, or at least limit the damage before a plumber arrives.
Here’s a scenario that happens all too often….potential homebuyers shop around for that perfect home, make an offer, get a mortgage approval, get a home inspection and become homeowners.
Then, two months or five months or eight months down the road, they are on the phone with a plumber because there is an inch of water in the laundry room or there is some other plumbing-related issue.
If the home passed its inspection with flying colours just a short time ago, how can there possibly be any problems with the plumbing?
If you find your drain pipes rusted, damaged, burst or leaking, they should be replaced as soon as possible. Not only are you leaving your home open to water damage, but a damaged drain pipe could also allow sewer gases to build up in your bathroom or kitchen. These gases are a health hazard and can be extremely harmful to you and your family. Replacing or repairing broken drain pipes is essential for preventing damage to your home.
Over time, drain pipes can become worn or damaged which will require a repair or replacement. Owners of older homes are at an increased risk of encountering damaged drain pipes. Many older homes have cast-iron or galvanized drain pipes which eventually wear out. Years of water and waste passing through can cause cast-iron drain pipes to deteriorate, leaving you with an inefficient drain system or a mess from leakage. Although cast iron pipes are very durable and known to be quieter when water is flowing through them, they are quite difficult to work with and will cost a great deal more than their modern plastic equivalents. You can replace your old cast-iron pipes with new polyvinyl chloride (PVC) drain pipes for a long-lasting drain system. PVC pipes are very durable and are easier to work with. PVC (white) is installed below ground level, ABS (black) is installed above ground. Cast iron is usually above ground, so we should mention ABS more than PVC. Small portion of underground sewer system is composed of cast iron.
Plumbing is a very important aspect of any household. Most of the people who try repairing their own plumbing problems end up making the problem worse. This forces them to incur a higher cost when they consult the services of an expert. A good plumber is one who will take care of their client’s repairs without engaging in any foul play.
It is very important for a homeowner to hire someone who is qualified to handle the job at hand. Once in a while, every household needs plumbing repairs and it is better to find qualified plumbing services before the need for it actually arises. Making use of the available emergency numbers cannot guarantee someone that they will get the best service in the area.
There are a number of things that need to be taken into consideration when searching for an expert who will handle your plumbing. Most of the people working in the plumbing industry have negatively affected its reputation by failing to abide by the regulations. During the consultations, instead of solving the client’s problem they end up aggravating it. There are certain rules that have been set to ensure that practitioners in the plumbing industry act as professionals.
The best time to choose plumbers are before you actually experience any type of plumbing emergency. When you face an emergency you will have very little time to find someone and therefore you might end up making a poor selection. Follow these basic tips if you want to find a plumber who you can call up whenever any type of emergency arises.
Start by calling up a few plumbing contractor’s who live in the local area and who you trust. The majority of homeowners will at one time or another, have required the use of a local plumber and therefore you can ask them about the service that they used. If you trust their opinion then you can certainly trust that the plumbing service they have used will do a good job.
Consider the option of calling up a building contractor who you may already know and trust. Building contractors will deal with plumbers on a regular basis and therefore they should have several different options that you could go to. Again, as long as you trust the opinion of the contractor there is no reason why you shouldn’t choose their recommendation.
