When indoor plumbing works the way it’s intended, it’s almost like this magical, invisible force in the home or workplace. Water appears at the turn of a tap, toilets flush and seamlessly, easily get rid of waste, and hot water for a shower, laundry or dishwashing is always available.
When things go wrong, people really notice, and the inconvenience becomes quickly, painfully apparent. So what are the things that can go wrong with your plumbing? We’ll cover some of the most common issues.
This doesn’t happen all that often, but when it does, it can be incredibly serious.
Burst Pipes
Your pipes are, by design, built to be watertight and not let any liquid leak. However, for all the quality workmanship that goes into water or sewage pipes, things can sometimes still go wrong. A number of things can cause a pipe to burst
- Cold winters can freeze water in pipes, which, over the years can lead to damage.
- Too many acids and other corrosives poured down drains can weaken pipes and cause them to burst.
- Even simple age, such as old sewage pipes 100 years old or more can break due to the passage of time.
This is the nightmare scenario for many homeowners.
Overflowing Toilets
An overflowing toilet is an immediate cause for concern simply because of the health risk it presents. Toilets are designed to quickly get rid of human waste, so when a toilet overflows and that waste spills into the home, that presents a very real threat in terms of hygiene and possible disease.
Toilets can overflow for a number of reasons:
- A clogged sewage pipe
- The septic tank isn’t percolating correctly
Blocked Drains
A blocked drain can be another source of headaches for homeowners, but it can also have a lot of different causes. The scope of a blocked drain depends a lot on the location of the blockage.
A single blocked drain in the kitchen, for example, means the problem lies with your individual kitchen pipe, whereas all the drains being blocked in sinks upstairs, means the blockage lies somewhere along the drainage pipe of the second floor. Sometimes a household product may be enough to clear a drain. Other times, it will take something more extensive.
Leaky Plumbing Fixtures
Of all the common plumbing emergencies, leaky fixtures are one that people don’t need to panic so much on. Even when a leaky fixture is serious, the water supply can be turned off to prevent more leakage from occurring.
Sometimes, the problem with a leaky fixture is small enough that replacing an O-ring or washer all by yourself is enough to get the job done. In many cases, a leak usually requires a simple replacement of a part to restore your fixture to watertight functionality. It’s important to make sure that the plumbing in your home is in good, working condition.
Call L.E. Isley & Sons For Help With All Your Plumbing Emergencies
Without plumbing, much of the convenience that we take for granted in our domestic life would disappear and make our lives much more time consuming and difficult. But if something does go wrong in your Westfield, IN home or business, make sure you get it addressed quickly, either by yourself or professionals, if the scope of the fix demands it.