Plumbing emergencies happen to everyone at some point, when that time arises you need to have a local plumber on your speed dial. Between the headache of dealing with a plumbing emergency and the costs usually associated with a plumbing issue, a lot of people try to repair problems on their own. However, most people end up making plumbing issues worse which results in an even higher repair bill.
Instead of attempting to fix your own plumbing issues in St. Paul, MN, the best thing you can do is learn about the most popular plumbing issues and how to prevent them. Proactive action is always better than reactive action, and a plumbing service will be happy to come out for regular maintenance in place of an emergency. The following are the top plumbing issues that occur within residential homes.
Blocked or Broken Garbage Disposals
Garbage disposals are one of the cheapest kitchen appliances in your home, and they are also one of the most likely to cause a problem in the kitchen. This is because while they are a great tool, they only function correctly when they are used correctly. A lot of people think that they can put anything down them and the remains will wash down the drain. This is not quite true. There are limitations to what you should put down the garbage disposal if you don’t want to deal with a blockage that requires a plumbing service to resolve.
Eggshells, pasta noodles, grease, chicken skins, celery, and tissue are all major no-nos when it comes to the safe use of your garbage disposal. All of these items are porous and over time will expand once inside your drain. The end result is eventually a blockage. A good way to prevent problems with your garbage disposal so you don’t need a plumbing service is by running ice cubes through the garbage disposal on a regular basis, which helps remove any food that may be stuck inside.
Kitchen Sink Clog
If you don’t have a garbage disposal, you can have the same issue outlined above if you are putting too much grease or fatty wastes down the drain. When they cool, the grease will harden and turn into sludge that will build up until you have a clog. Combined with other small waste materials, you have the potential for a major clog. Placing a strainer in your kitchen sink is an excellent and cheap way to help prevent clogs. A plumbing service will also likely recommend that you run boiling water down the kitchen sink or any drain with a propensity for clogging to help melt away grease buildup and debris.
Shower or Bathtub Draining Slowly
When you are taking a shower, the dirty water should not start pooling around your feet. If it does, this is a sign that your drain is starting to slow down and can’t keep up. In most cases this means that you have a partial blockage that will eventually become a full blockage if you don’t call a plumbing service and have the issue fixed. Showers and bathtubs clog on a regular basis because of the soap, debris, and hair that washes down them. A simple trap can help collect a lot of that debris and keep it out of your plumbing lines. If you have an issue it is a better idea to call a plumber than purchase commercial drain cleaners. These only buy you time and will eventually corrode your pipes if you get in the habit of using them too frequently.
Toilet Backup
One of the grossest plumbing emergencies has to do with the toilet. No one wants to deal with a toilet backup. Overflowing water can cause a great deal of water damage, and wastewater is simply a sanitary disaster. Before you find yourself dealing with wastes, you need to change the way you use your toilet.
Most toilet blockages are caused by a foreign object getting flushed. If you have small children you may want to consider purchasing a toilet lock to keep them out of it. This is also for their own safety. If you are an adult, you may need to change your toileting habits to stop blockages. Things such as flushable wipes should never be used in a home toilet. Any plumbing service will tell you that these wipes are reasonable for a large number of blockages. While the packaging says they are safe, they are not and will clog your system up quickly. It is even worse if you have a septic system. The only thing that should ever go down a toilet is toilet paper.
No Hot Water
Discovering you have no hot water on a brisk cold morning is just about one of the worst plumbing issues you can have in St. Paul, MN. Most of the time if you have no hot water in your home it is a sign that something is wrong with your hot water heater. You should always call a plumbing service to investigate because there are numerous issues that could be wrong. If you are lucky your hot water heater just needs to be flushed, but depending on the age of your system you may need to replace your hot water system. This is a job for a professional plumbing service because proper installation of a hot water heater tank will influence its total lifespan.
If you are in need of a plumbing service Paul Bunyan Plumbing & Drains has extensive experience dealing with all of the above plumbing emergencies and many more. We will be happy to come out to your home and help you troubleshoot problems with your drains, sinks, and hot water. We also offer full preventative services so that you can ensure your plumbing system stays in tip-top shape. Contact us today to set up a visit.
