Plumbing

When it comes to your home’s plumbing installations, maintenance, and repairs, it’s always best to count on a plumbing company for a professional outcome. Expert installation can help to prevent costly problems before they start or become worse, just as regular, expert maintenance will ensure that many plumbing disasters are avoided. DIY plumbing projects by homeowners should be avoided unless you’re experienced and have access to the proper equipment and installation techniques used by professionals. ;

There are times, however, where DIY fixes and installations are perfectly safe and acceptable. In this guide, we share some helpful plumbing tips to remember when fixing simple issues that come up from time to time. With these plumbing tips, you can swiftly solve problems before or right as they come up—along with regular maintenance sessions from your trusted professional plumber, of course.

Hand Tight is Just Right

DIY plumbing projects seem to be all the rage right now—which is a great thing, as long as the work is done correctly. A rookie mistake many homeowners make when handling their own plumbing is tightening their fixtures too tightly. As any professional plumber will tell you, “hand tight is just right.” ;

In other words, tightening connections—such as bolts, screws, and pipes—can cause them to break or become damaged. Instead of over-tightening them during the installation or repair process, take care to gently close them without any added pressure. This will prevent future problems down the road.

Fixing a Sink Leak

Experiencing a leak is an inevitable aspect of owning a home. No matter how much maintenance time you put in, pipes can still become damaged and, unfortunately, shoot water where it shouldn’t be which can cause a lot of damage to your home if left untreated. There are many temporary fixes for leaking pipes you can use, such as epoxy putty, pipe clamps, replace small parts, etc. if you don’t want to call a plumber just yet.

If the leak is from inside the wall, ceiling, floor, or simply beyond what you can DIY, please call a professional.

Faucet Leak

If the sound of a dripping faucet keeps you up at night and the thought of how much water you’re wasting worries you, you can relax. Fixing a leaky faucet is quick and inexpensive; even the most amateur DIYer can tackle this task.

The most common sources of a leaking faucet – a worn out washer or gasket, a loose O ring, corrosion in the valve seat – can be detected and fixed easily with most faucet repair kits. Damaged or deteriorated faucet parts are the leading cause of leaks in bathroom, shower and kitchen faucets, especially if you have an older one in your home.

Prefer to read the steps? Check out the article here.

Pipe Leak

If a water pipe under the sink is leaking, you need to act quickly to prevent damage and avoid costly repairs to floors, walls and ceilings. While you’ll need a plumber for a complete repair, we’ll show you how to fix a leaking pipe with temporary measures to minimize damage until a professional can arrive.

First, locate where the leak is coming from. A common sink drain consists of the following components: the sink drain, tailpiece, P-trap and waste pipe.

Sink Drain Tailpiece P-Trap Waste Pipe Sink Diagram

Sink Drain

Plugging the sink drain with a stopper and filling sink with water is the best way to determine if the sink drain is leaking. By observing the sink drain from underneath the cabinet with a flashlight, you should be able to determine if it is indeed leaking. Leaking sink drains allow water to seep out from around the rubber washer and continue down the outside of the pipes below. This is why it is important to test the sink drain first. In the event the sink drain is leaking, tightening or replacing the plumber's putty and rubber washer should correct the problem.

Need a visual? Click here.

Tailpiece

The tailpiece attaches to threads on the bottom of the sink drain at its top end. It attaches to the P-trap on its bottom end with slip nuts and washers. Plastic slip washers used in conjunction with the slip nuts seal the threaded connections of the tailpiece. Running water through the sink drain and observing the tailpiece with a flashlight should help you determine if it is leaking. Leaking tailpieces usually allow water to seep out of its connections. Tightening the slip nuts or replacing the plastic slip washers should correct this problem.

P-Trap

P-traps connect to the tailpiece on one end and the waste arm on the other in the same fashion as the tailpiece, using slip nuts and washers. Observing these connections while water is passing through them should allow you to determine if they are leaking. In the event the P-trap is leaking, tightening the slip nuts or replacing the slip washers will eliminate the leak.

Need a visual? Click here.

Waste Pipe

The final component to a sink drain is the waste arm. It connects to the P-trap and the drain line. The drain line connection is sealed using a slip washer and nut; however, the connection at the P-trap does not use a slip washer. The waste arm incorporates a beveled lip that fits into the P-trap and is secured with a slip nut. Tightening the slip nuts usually eliminates any leaks. If the waste arm fails at the P-trap connection due to corrosion, however, waste arm and/or P-trap replacement is required.

Sink Diagram

Other ways to fix a leaky pipe include:

Wrap tape & Repair Clamps

Epoxy putty

Slip & Compression Couplings

Fixing a Toilet Leak

When it comes to household plumbing issues, there’s little more annoying than a broken or poorly functioning toilet. Not only can toilet problems cause your utilities bills to skyrocket, they can make using your bathroom a nightmare. To prevent your toilet from causing issues or breaking down, it’s important to be aware of some of the leading causes of toilet plumbing problems.

Here is a video showing how the parts work together to make a toilet flush and fill back up

Toilet is constantly running

When a toilet runs constantly, meaning water is constantly flowing into the tank through the fill valve, it wastes water and costs money. The problem is usually in the tank.

Solution

Check the flapper. If it’s not sealing the flush valve opening, water from the tank will leak into the bowl, and the toilet will run constantly to keep the tank filled. Replace the flapper as needed. If the flapper appears to be in good shape or replacing it doesn't solve the problem, you may need to replace the entire flush valve assembly.
If the tank isn’t emptying or the water level is spilling into the overflow tube, the fill valve may need cleaning or replacing. If you have an older-model fill valve or ball cock, this would be a good time to replace it with a new fill valve. Alternately, debris in the fill valve can prevent the water shut-off mechanism from working correctly. Check the manufacturer’s instructions for cleaning out debris from
If the toilet handle sticks in the down position, making the toilet run constantly, make sure the handle mounting nut inside the tank isn’t too tight. Loosen it slightly if needed by turning the nut clockwise. Next, clean the handle mounting nut and the shaft threads so the handle operates smoothly. Make sure the flush arm is pulling up the chain and opening the flapper correctly. Adjust the arm or chain as needed.
If the toilet handle is too loose, clean any debris or buildup from around the handle mounting nut inside the tank. Tighten the mounting nut carefully so the handle moves smoothly. Turn the nut counterclockwise to tighten.

Toilet won’t flush correctly

A clogged or slow-flushing toilet may be the result of a clog or a problem with the flush handle, flapper, lift chain or water level.

Solutions

If you have a clogged toilet, turn off the water supply valve as soon as you notice the toilet isn’t flushing properly. This can help prevent the bowl from overflowing. Learn how to unclog a toilet.
If the toilet doesn’t flush, 1) check the flush handle and adjust as needed if it’s too loose or too tight. Flush handles are usually reverse threaded, which means you’ll turn the nut clockwise to loosen and counterclockwise to tighten. 2) Check the flush lever lift arm and adjust or replace as needed. If you must replace the handle/lift arm assembly, it’s a good idea to take it with you to the store to make sure you get the correct replacement. 3) Check the lift chain and make sure it’s properly attached to the lift arm and the flapper at the base of the flush valve. Untangle or adjust as needed. 4) Make sure the flapper seals the flush valve opening. If the flapper is damaged or warped, replace it.
If the toilet doesn’t flush completely, check for a proper water level in the tank. Adjust the fill level according to manufacturer’s instructions.

External & internal leaks

Address an external leak as soon as you notice a problem. Water will damage your floor and subfloor. You may be dealing with wastewater, so wear waterproof gloves when cleaning up the leak.

Solutions

If you identify a leak where the supply line enters the toilet, check the supply line connection to the toilet and tighten it if needed. Make sure the fill valve assembly is properly secured to the bottom of the tank. Then check the supply line. If you see damage or if it’s more than 5 years old, replace the supply line.
If there’s a toilet base leak where the tank connects to the toilet bowl, check the bolts that secure the tank to the bowl and tighten them if needed. If the bolts are tight and the leak persists, replace the bolts and the gasket between the tank and toilet base.
Lastly, check for cracks in the tank. If the tank is cracked, you may be able to replace only the toilet tank. If not, replace the entire toilet. If the tank isn’t cracked, the water may be condensation caused by cool water entering the tank in the warmer, humid bathroom. Run your bathroom exhaust fan as needed to ensure proper ventilation.
For leaks where the toilet meets the floor and/or there are water stains on a ceiling below the bathroom, check the mounting bolts that secure the toilet to the floor. If necessary, make sure the toilet is in the right position and tighten the bolts. If tightening the bolts doesn’t fix the leak or if the bolts are damaged, you’ll need to uninstall the toilet and check the bolts, the toilet anchor flange that holds the bolts, and the wax ring that seals the connection between the toilet and the waste pipe.

Sometimes, water can leak into the bowl and this extra water just goes down the drain. Because such leaks are hard to detect, you might end up wasting gallons of water every year without even realizing it.

Solutions

An easy hack to confirm if your toilet is leaking back into the bowl is to put a little food color in the tank. If the water is leaking, you will see the color in the water seeping in the bowl. Check to ensure the flapper and chain are functioning properly.
It's also possible for it to leak through the overflow tube. When the tank is functioning properly, the water level should be at least half an inch away from the overflow tube. Water flowing through the overflow tank usually means the fill valve isn't closing properly.

Replacing the flapper

Replacing the fill valve

Replacing the handle/ arm

Replacing the gaskets

Maintaining the Water Heater

Have you had to dance in the shower because rather than enjoying the hot water, you instead received ice-cold water? Well, water heaters are just like other appliances that need maintenance to increase the longevity.

There are two main reason that this could happen. Either your water heater has a broken unreplaceable part and needs to be replaced completely, or the sediment inside the water has caused damage to the bottom of your water heater. In the latter case, you would need to drain the water from your heater and clean the inside at least once a year.

The video to the right provides a great explanation for why it's important to flush your water heater.

To drain your water heater, turn off the water supply and power to the heater. If you have an electric heater, you can simply turn off the power to the machine. Next, connect a water hose to the drain fitting at the bottom of the tank and begin to drain all the excess water inside of the tank. Make sure to open the drain valve on the water heater so that all of the sediment on the bottom of tank can be removed during the process. After draining all of the sediment, close the drain valve and turn on the main water supply to refill your tank. You must refill your tank before you turn the power back to avoid damage to the heater.

Plumbing

Hand Tight is Just Right

Fixing a Sink Leak

Fixing a Toilet Leak

Maintaining the Water Heater

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