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MOST COMMON PLUMBING PROBLEMS IN OLDER HOMES

 

Galvanized Pipes

 

The galvanic process means coating an iron pipe with molten zinc to prevent the iron from corroding. The zinc lasts a while, but not forever. As the zinc erodes, the exposed iron begins to rust. This can cause pipes to fail, but the warning signal is easy to spot: Your water will become discolored from the rust in it.

The answer is to have galvanized pipes professionally replaced by modern alternatives, such as copper or PEX (Cross-Linked Polyethylene). A well-trained plumber and assistant can perform this work in relatively short time, ensuring a constant water pressure, no odd taste or color to your water and no leaks.

 

Pipe Bellies

 

As your Phoenix home rises and falls in its surrounding soil, the pipes leading into your home will rise and fall, too. When they buckle or bow, they form a pipe belly, a low spot that defies gravity’s pull on sewage. While this settling occurs slowly, you will eventually notice poor drainage, slow-flushing toilets and, ultimately, a clogged sewer line.

Similar to pipe bellies are pipe channeling, where hard water carves its own channel in the bottom of a sewer pipe, rendering it very weak.

 

Polybutylene Pipe

 

Once thought of as a great water pipe product, polybutylene pipe (PB) was used from the late ’70s into the early ’90s because of its low cost and easy installation. It breaks down with exposure to water and water’s dissolved solids, so it is not acceptable anymore. As time goes on, homeowners experience more and more polybutylene pipe problems.

If you have an entire house piped in PB, you need the services of an experienced local plumber to replace every run, every elbow and tee, and every connection to fixtures throughout your house. Otherwise a leak could destroy furniture, furnishings, flooring and more.

 

Sewer Lines

 

Sewers and sewer lines are definitely at the top of a lot of people’s old house plumbing problems. Sewer lines take your home’s gray and black water from drains to the sewer main, where it travels on to a municipal treatment plant. Sewer lines are always wet, so they attract tree roots. Cast iron pipes are particularly susceptible to cracking and intrusion by tree roots, which can completely clog a line.

Professional plumbers can send a camera into your home’s sewer pipe to diagnose channeling and bellies, and they can find and fix tree roots that clog your pipe. This is a much more affordable option than the disgusting and expensive issues created by a sewer backing up.

 

Drains

 

Fifty years of draining water, soap scum, sewage and shampoo can take a toll on your older Phoenix home’s drains. Clogs develop in pipes in all drains, but toilet, kitchen, and bathroom sink drains are particularly prone to clogs.

Toilets are infamous targets for children, fascinated by the disappearing act. While you may never know a small action figure or toy car went down the toilet, you will know a backed-up toilet when it strikes. A small item could start a very slow-building clog.

Kitchen sink drains also tend to accept things that should not go down the drain, like kitchen fats, bits of food that should go through a sink strainer and even bone. You can do your part, of course, by keeping waste out of the kitchen sink or having a garbage disposal installed, but in an older home you will not know what others have stuffed down there before you.

 

Original Fixtures

 

While some original fixtures are notably sturdier and of better quality than their corresponding modern fixtures, many older ones simply wear out with time. Washers and valves degrade and cause leaks. Stems and handles break. If your home still has its original spigots, faucets, handles and valves, you may not notice the tiny leaks that lead to higher water bills and unpleasant smells.

A worry spot in any home is the shut-off valve for a toilet. This little-used valve attaches where the rigid pipe exits the wall, down below the tank, and a flexible metal and plastic tube connects the water supply to the tank. That shut-off valve can get stuck in its typical, open position, so any attempt to close it may actually cause it to leak. A trained plumber can replace not only the flexible tube to the toilet tank, but the antiquated or stuck shut-off valve. This means you never have to worry about turning off the water to the toilet should a bowl clog cause your toilet to back up.

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Just How to Fix Common Household Plumbing Issues

Doing the repair services yourselves on these straightforward plumbing troubles can conserve you tons of money. As a property owner, you will certainly run into lots of various plumbing problems that periodically make a nuisance.

 

 

Low Water Pressure

Is somebody from your home whining that there's low tide stress from the sink? Initially, inspect if this problem affects both the cold and hot water lines. If of course, then the trouble is the aerator within the sink which may have a great deal of sedimentation causing low water pressure. This is really simple to fix as you just need to take it out and also scrub away the natural resource.

 

 

Running Toilet

You may have experienced a running commode, which can be quite bothersome due to the fact that the container will not load up. At the very same time, leaving it alone equates to wasting water as well as surging up your water costs.
Bathroom fill valve
Leaking flush valve
Commode flapper

 

 

Malfunctioning Garbage Disposal System

This annoying problem is likewise high up on the listing of usual plumbing concerns. Your unit will feature a clever trick to unjam your maker. If you lose it, you will certainly need an Allen wrench to take care of the problem. You need to go under the sink and try to find the spot where you can put the trick. When you identify it, utilize your wrench to turn the equipment to release the electric motor. Do not neglect to shut off the system and also reduced the circuit breaker when servicing your garbage disposal system to prevent horrible crashes.

 

 

Slow Draining Sink

You can make use of a plumbing device for angling out the particles. From there, you can use a store-bought drain cleaner to clean the lines.

 

 

Slow-moving Tub Drain

Just like the sink drain, hair, soap residue, dead skin cells, as well as various other cruds swimming pool in the drain typically. After utilizing the claw, you can pour drainpipe cleaner to revitalize the drain lines.

You may also finish up saving money in the lengthy run due to the fact that you can relax ensured that your simple plumbing problem will certainly not rise. Simply make sure you call a credible business with licenses and also certifications since you will certainly be inviting strangers in your house.


Some plumbing concerns are more usual and also can be easily dealt with. Doing the fixings yourselves on these easy plumbing troubles can save you tons of cash. As a property owner, you will certainly experience many different plumbing troubles that sometimes make a hassle. You can use a plumbing device for fishing out the particles. You might also end up saving money in the long run since you can relax guaranteed that your easy plumbing problem will certainly not rise.

 

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