Tips to help solve simple plumbing issues yourself

There may come a time when you have issues with your plumbing, whether it’s a clogged sink, leaking pipe, or a blocked toilet. Sometimes people want to fix these issues but, more often than not, especially for businesses, people want a quick solution provided by a local plumber. However, if you are a DIY person, then check out the tips and suggestions in the article below that will show you easy things you can do on your own to solve these issues, and save a call to a plumber.

Your water supply

This is important!

If you are having any kind of problems with your water pipes or plumbing in general, then you will first want to turn off your water supply. It is surprising how many people think that having the tap turned off stops the water flow. As a result, they leave their water supply on while they are trying to fix the problem which leads to bigger problems.

Toilet problems

Toilet does not flush

If you go to flush the toilet and nothing happens, do not be afraid to open the lid and take a look inside. The mechanism inside the toilet is not overly complex, and with some time and thought you can nearly always pinpoint the problem and then find the tools and parts to fix it.

Toilet cistern drips

Another common problem is that the cistern continues to drip water into the bowl after it has been flushed. It is often only a small drip but the volume of water adds up really quickly which will of course increase your water bill. This problem is usually a simple jam in the spring mechanism in the buttons on top of the cistern which releases the ball-cock so the cistern will refill properly. The solution is again simple. You just need to lift off the lid and wiggle the button or spring. That usually releases it however, if it persists or happens regularly, then it may be time to replace parts of the mechanism so then you would need to call in a Wairau plumber.

Preventing drainage issues

Blocked drains can be a common problem which takes a while to build up but when it does happen, you definitely know about it then. The smell can be awful!

To prevent this, try flushing your drains every month with a few litres of hot tap water. If you do this with each of the drains in your house, you can easily soften any fatty build-up or other solid waste that might develop into a bigger drain blockage problem.

When to call a plumber

If water is backing up into multiple fixtures all over the house or workplace, this is evidence of a blockage in the main water pipes or drains. At this stage, you must contact a qualified plumber to take care of this problem for you. it is no longer going to be possible for you to use chemicals or a small hand tool, often called a drain snake or drain auger, to unblock a pipe.

Getting best value from a plumber service

If you do have to call in a plumber, then one way to get best value for money is to group all of your plumbing repairs before calling a plumber to come out. You can do this by checking all your fixtures, sinks, toilets, and taps. If anything is dripping, running, or drains slowly, make a list for the plumber. That way, when the plumber comes, they can do all of the jobs in one visit which will cut down on call-out charges for a plumber.