Common home plumbing mistakes

Johannes van Graan Johannes van Graan
homify Baños de estilo mediterráneo
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Who among us are not familiar, to some extent, with common plumbing problems? Raise your hand if you’ve ever encountered a clogged sink, a dripping faucet or even a toilet that wasn’t working the way it’s supposed to. 

But remember that it’s one thing to phone up a plumber to help you out of such a less-than-desired situation, and entirely another to be the main culprit who caused that problem in the first place! Yes, people can certainly be the root cause of plumbing problems in a lot of instances – and they don’t realise this until it’s too late (meaning when puddles are all over the floor, for example!)

So, if you want to avoid trouble, these seven common plumbing mistakes need to be sidestepped…

1. Too many fixtures

Using too many plumbing fixtures is one of the main causes of household plumbing problems. If you face low water pressure around the home, using too many fixtures may make the problem worse. 

Crowded residential areas usually experience low water pressure and if that is the case, restrict the amount of plumbing fixtures in the home – unless, of course, you are 100% certain that the mains can tackle all of them.

2. Hard-to-reach cleanouts

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Many homeowners don't provide adequate room around cleanouts, which may keep them from clearing blocked pipes. If there is no cleanout or not enough free space around it, you will have to tumble down the whole plumbing system if a pipe gets clogged. 

For this reason, allowing enough space for a cleanout is a must.

3. Not enough space

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It is certainly true that many homeowners don't plan their plumbing system ahead of time. As a result, they often forget to provide enough space between plumbing fixtures and appliances. 

For example, placing the bathtub too close to the toilet will cause discomfort in using either of them. The end result may be, to say the least, very bad.

4. Throwing inappropriate materials down the drain

A lot of people simply turn a blind eye when dumping inappropriate items down the drain – or they don’t know any better, thinking that it will simply get absorbed by water. What usually happens in these cases is that they end up phoning a plumber because the sink gets blocked. 

Construction materials are hard and they may clog the drains. Unfortunately, a drain cleaner cannot get these out. 

Find a more suitable way of disposing of those building materials and waste than tossing it down the kitchen- or bathroom drain.

5. Flushing inappropriate things down the toilet

While it’s common sense to keep toys and other bizarre things out of the toilet, many plumbers still get summoned to properties to deal with this kind of problem, usually where families with kids are involved. 

But of course “inappropriate items” can mean much more than just a building block or a doll. Just remember that if you flush down an inappropriate item, it may get stuck, making it impossible to retrieve without removing the entire toilet.

6. Pushing a faucet handle with a leak

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Impatience also plays a part when it comes to plumbing problems, as another common mistake sees people breaking faucets while trying to turn them off. 

If your faucet is dripping, applying too much pressure on the handle will not stop the drip. It's not about strength; it's about relevant knowledge and appropriate skills. 

If there is a leak, rather phone up a professional to handle the situation instead of cranking on the faucet handle, which could lead to much bigger problems.

7. DIYing when you shouldn’t be

While it might seem like fun taking things apart trying to get to the root of the problem, remember that putting that item back together can sometimes be a struggle – especially if you have no clue what you’re doing! 

If your home improvement skills don’t stretch very far into the plumbing realm, don’t ever attempt to take plumbing components apart. And even when you are perfectly capable of handling a little fixer-upper yourself, take a “before” shot so that you know which little piece goes where. It might just end up saving you a pretty penny at the end of the day!

But now for some DIYing that just about anybody can try out: DIY: Giving your bathroom a fresh look.

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