How to Troubleshoot Plumbing Problems Boulder CO

Steps

1. Look at your home's plumbing system in an analytical way. Normal homes have two seperate plumbing systems, one is the supply, which provides potable water to fixtures in the kitchen, bath, and laundry, the other is the drain/waste, which removes the water after its intended use, along with the waste it may contain.
2. Determine the nature of the problem. Low water pressure, excessive water usage, slow drains, noises, or other problems relate to specific elements of your plumbing system. The following steps may help you locate the source of a plumbing problem and describe some of the most basic repairs for each type of problem.

Potable (drinking) water

1. Look at these common problems with the potable water portion of your home's plumbing. Keep in mind that potable water pipes deliver water to the fixtures in our homes under pressure, so leaks or burst pipes can cause significant damage from flooding in a short period of time.
   • High water usage (or water bills):
     • Leaking water pipes. Pipes that contain water under pressure can become corroded, develope loose fittings, or crack because of freezing, allowing a continuous loss of water until repaired. Locating a leak may be as simple as looking for wet spots along the baseboards of rooms adjacent to known plumbing pipe installation, commonly the bathrooms, kitchen, and utility rooms of a home.
     • Leaking or dripping faucets. Even though a dripping faucet may not seem to waste significant amounts of water, over the course of day, each individual drop adds up to thousands and thousands of drops, or gallons and gallons of water.
     • Sticking flush valves and leaking seals in toilets. These can waste a lot of water, since, like dripping faucets, the flow, although perhaps very small, is continuous.
2. Listen for dripping sounds. As simple as this step may seem, it may be overlooked in a busy, noisy home. Choose a time when there is little or no activity, such as early in the morning, or late at night, when the house is very quiet.
3. Look for evidence of a leak along the base board of walls near the location of your plumbing fixtures. Mildew or mold, darkened sufaces, or even puddles of water may occur below leaks. If the problem is inside the wall cavity, it may be necessary to remove the panelling, plaster, or wallboard to correct it.
4. Look under vanities and sinks for drips or similar evidence noted in the previous step. Use a flashlight to follow the path of exposed pipes, looking for droplets of water that will accumlate at the lower section before dropping off, and run your fingertips along these pipes to feel for wetness.
5. Listen for noises from your commodes, to determine if they are running at unusual intervals, when no one has recently flushed them. When there is a seal leak in the water closet, the tank will drain slowly over a period of time, until the water level drops sufficiently for the float valve to open and replenish it.
6. Check your water meter. Municipal water systems use a meter to measure the amount of water used, and by turning off all faucets and appliances that consume water, the flow to your home will cease. Locate your water meter, read the amount displayed, note it, then wait an hour or two, and reread it to see if water has gone through it when none was being used in your home. Very small leaks will not appear to move the meter over a short period of time, so these will be harder to detect using this method.

Repairs

1. Do not attempt a repair if you are not confident in your ability. Soldering pipes, replacing valves, and changing faucet seats may be better left to skilled persons with proper tools.
2. Replace toilet flush valves and seals by purchasing the required parts or part kits from a plumbing supply store or home center, and following installation instructions on the package.
3. Check the supply valves on lavatories and commodes if they are leaking. The packing, which seals the valve stem of a typical stop (water valve) seals more effectively when the valve is openned completely. Turn the valve off by turning it counterclockwise until it stops, then reopen it until the valve stops going clockwise. Occasionally, this will stop a leak that is occurring at the stem of a stop.

Drain/waste problems

1. Identify the problem that is occurring with your drains, specifically, the individual drains which are not functioning correctly. Some typical problems are these:

• Slow sink or tub drains.
• Water backing up in the bath tub, shower, or sink.
• Wet areas in walls or along floors in rooms adjacent to walls containing drain pipes.
• Wet areas in the lawn near drain piping.
• Unusual gurgling or bubbling sounds when water is draining.

1. Try to determine the extent of your "slow drain" problem. If it is isolated to only one sink or other fixture, it is probably localised to the individual pipe that connects that fixture to the main line. In other words, if only the kitchen sink drains slowly, the problem is in the sink trap or drain line that connects to the larger pipes which additionally carries water from other sinks, the commode, and the bath tub.
2. Determine the route the waste water takes to reach the main drainpipe. Many times, the individual drain pipes are routed though the wall cavity, interconnecting to other pipes, which then go below the floor and exit the home to either the septic system or sanitary sewer.

Possible drain/waste repairs

1. Flush the drain which is not operating like it should with very hot water. For a bathroom or kitchen sink, this can be done by stopping the drain and filling the sink with hot water from the faucet. Unstop the plug, and the water will drain into the material which is clogging the pipes, and it the material is a residue of grease or greaselike waste, the hot water may dissolve it sufficiently to flush enough of it out the pipes to restore your flow.
2. Use a drain cleaning product containing chemicals to dislodge or dissolve the material that is causing the stoppage. Drano or Liquid Plummer are examples of chemical products that may dissolve hair, soap residue, grease, or other materials which can clog a drain line.
3. Be careful if you choose to use a plumber's snake to open a clogged drain. These can be very messy, and may compact the material that is clogging the pipes, making it even more difficult to remove, if the proper technique is not used.
4. Call a plumber or have an experienced handyman help you if you are not confident in your ability to deal with these problems.

Tips

• Keep an eye on your utility bills, noting increases in water usage so that you notice unusual changes.
• Watch for wet places in the lawn where underground pipes bring water to your home.
• Notice mildew, dampness, or other evidence of a leak in the interior of your home, especially near walls of rooms with plumbing fixtures.
• Insulating exposed water pipes will help protect them from freezing, which can cause pipes to burst, since water expands when it freezes, putting tremendous pressure on pipes. Pipes also may sweat when cold water passes through them in warmer interior airspaces in the home, and this water condensing on the surface of pipes may drip, causing moisture problems to appear where no leak exists.
• Insulating hot water pipes will reduce the energy used to furnish you with hot water at your sink or bath tub, especially in a situation where a long run of pipe is required to suppy it.

Warnings

• Be educated about the type of pipe used in your home. Older copper pipes were joined with lead solder, and the lead may leach out of the joints and expose you to lead poisoning when you drink the water.
• Read label instructions carefully if you use a chemical drain cleaning product for cleaning clogged or slow-draining pipes.
• When there is rusty pipes to repair make sure that you do not force them too much. It can make the problem worse.

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