Learn About The Most Common Plumbing Mistakes That You Can Avoid
There are thousands of stories written about plumbing hacks, do-it-yourself plumbing repairs, and various tricks exchanged on social media on how to fix plumbing problems on your own.
Despite this, most homeowners and commercial property owners shell out a lot of money to fix plumbing issues and water damage.
So what are things that go wrong; which practices, hacks, tips or tricks were not doing their job properly or leading to slow building up of plumbing disasters?
Listed below are the plumbing errors that you ought to stay away from at all times.
Most Common Plumbing Mistakes
1) Forgetting the water shut-off
Often people forget to shut off the water supply before starting to replace a valve or any other plumbing fixture, which apparently takes seconds to fix. However there is always the probability that the washer or valve or any other component you are trying to quickly replace takes a wrong turn and you end up causing hundreds of gallons of water to flow into the kitchen or bathroom and adjacent rooms. This has happened more frequently than you would imagine and the DIYers then place an emergency service request to a professional offering plumbing repair in Orange County.
An experienced professional offering emergency plumbing services in Orange County might not be able to turn up in minutes. It is better to shut off the water main, and wait for the professional to handle the mess and broken valves.
2) Using Drain Cleaners
For thousands of people, the easiest way to unclog the washroom and kitchen sink is using barbed drain cleaning tools or perhaps a drain snake. Another option is generally clearing the drain P-trap and removing the materials obstructing the flow of water.
Many DIY lovers, however, use harsh-chemical-based liquid drain cleansers as the initial choice and pour a lot of it into the drain. This can be an enormous mistake since the harsh chemicals in such drain cleaners aren’t your best option. These cleansers result in more problems than they actually resolve because:
- In case a liquid does not clear the drain block, you might find yourself having to open the drain trap equipment and removing the materials causing blockage.
- Using a lot of these chemical-based drain cleaners and deploying it more times than required might corrode and damage pipes and traps. You might end up repairing pipes more often than needed.
- Liquid cleansers damage rubber gaskets in couplings, and over time cause leaks.
3) Not Making a Note of Deeper Issues
Nearly all DIY homeowners make the mistake of buying components or parts on their own for fixing faucets or taps. It is possible that if the cartridge or washer is worn out, then other areas of the sink may also be worn-out. Without a proper inspection, you end up fixing smaller issues and ignoring others such as scale buildup, reasons of infrequent water pressure, etc and face frequent leaks. Fixing washers or other components frequently would be ineffectual for fixing the root cause of the leaks.
You need to be equally cautious when repairing drain lines. When you have to disassemble any metallic system or p-trap, ensure you have adequate rubber gaskets in order to replace any disassembled technical seals. Make certain you have some spare components before carrying out any plumbing repairs on your own, as it is possible that some elements may come apart or break open.
4) Taping it The Wrong Way
Teflon tape, also called PTFE tape, should be wrapped clockwise around threads for it to work without issues. However, most DIY property owners wrap that backwards in a way that the tape will relax itself while tightening a fixture. This makes using the tape ineffective seeing that it’ll maybe not seal off the fitting correctly.
- Suggestion for taping well: Wrap the tape around the fixture’s threads three times such that the final wrap faces left and the fixture is properly screwed into place. If the last wrap faces your right-hand side, you will need to wrap it up all over again in the right manner.
- You Need To Use The Right Tape: A gas-rated yellow tape is used for threading gas system fixtures, and thick red or white tapes are used for water source fixtures. You should never use thread tapes on flare or compression fittings.
5) Using Exorbitant Pressure On Regulators Stuck On Turn Off
Bathroom and kitchen sink valves might not work well when not used for a number of days. It could be that the packing seal has welded itself onto the stem of the device, and if so trying to open these valves through a lot of force might break the knob or even cause damage to the stem.
A professional would always inspect the system first before taking any action. If using a wrench could do the trick, then that’s the best solution. Loosen the nut that retains the stem system and see if the knob turns very easily. Once completed, snug the nut to prevent any leak possibilities.
6) Tightening Of Your Plumbing Connections
A lot of people get into a habit of tightening various plumbing fixtures such as toilet bolts, pipe fittings, and faucets. Over weeks or months, this over tightening of knobs, valves, faucets, etc. cracks the fitting. This is because most plumbing products like faucets and valves are not made to manage frequent exorbitant pressure that is applied on them.
Tightening up the toilet’s bolts or bowl components made of porcelain has often resulted in leaks and mess. It might not be surprising to learn that such practices lead to your dialling up individuals or companies offering emergency plumbing services in Orange County more frequently. You would be paying hundreds of dollars for repairs, which include replacement of nuts, broken components, cleanup and decontamination.
7) Sweating A Copper Pipe in the Wrong Way
“Sweating pipes” means soldering a pipe or the joint to seal a new joint or mend a fault. Doing it right helps you use the pipe a very long time. Before attempting to solder it, you need to verify that the copper fittings and pipes are totally clean and dry. You would need to move the flame around the joint in the way that it is evenly heated.
Trying to heat using water and steam for sweating copper pipes could create pin holes as you solder and water leaking out from these weak areas. If you are doing such an activity for the first time, find out about connection products that can be used in place of flux and solder to seal joints.
8) Missing The Correct Tools
A lot of do-it-yourself plumbing repair videos make the repair work look easy to manage. While they might mention the right tools, and hand out alternatives, a lot of things go wrong when the same tools are used ineffectually or one makes a mistake about understanding the angles in which things, connections or valves need to be set.
Complex plumbing is best left to licensed plumbers offering plumbing services in Orange County who are aware of all the plumbing codes and rules for efficiency, health and safety.
Main Reasons Why It Is Better To Use Professional Plumbing Services in Orange County
Plumbing in your home must be done by specialists in plumbing repair Orange County due to the several benefits you’ll get. An experienced hand at work makes plumbing systems last longer. On the other hand, even a minor level of inefficiency creates multiple possibilities of eventual plumbing failure and major leaks. If any fixture, nut, bolt, elbow, tee, etc. are handled incorrectly, and especially in the plumbing behind walls or flooring, the worst kind of water damage can occur without your knowing about it in time.
For drains and sewer line connections, it is necessary to engage a professional plumber offering emergency plumbing services in Orange County. Dealing with such issues on your own is equivalent to asking for trouble. Individuals without license, training and certifications do not have the competency, nor the tools and equipment to properly investigate and analyse the root cause of problems.
Detecting sewer line issues, slab leaks, bathroom plumbing leaks involves expertly using the right set of instruments. Detecting the exact source and cause of leaks is one thing and dealing with it in an efficient manner is another. Let a licensed professional offering emergency plumbing services in Orange County inspect these complex plumbing and ensure proper repairs in compliance with industry standards.
Professionals Are Skilled
Companies offering professional plumbing services in Orange County having teams of licensed, bonded, insured contractors and plumbers are the ones you should contract with. A licensed plumber is one who has undergone hundreds of hours of training, and knows what needs to be done to ensure a plumbing system works perfectly well for a long time. The work will be done in accordance with plumbing codes, quality standards, and using the right parts, components and plumbing products.
Professionals can investigate plumbing problems in the most swift, efficient and comprehensive manner, and let you know what can be done that helps you spend less over time on plumbing failures.
You Will Save More
When you do the plumbing work alone, you might find yourself spending money on buying various toolkits, parts, valves, fixtures, etc.The risk of recurring issues is always there. You never know how much you spent over a year.
When you hire a plumber through an established company offering plumbing services in Orange County, any plumbing job will be done perfectly right and you get peace of mind from those plumbing issues for a long time. It is the difference between spending more than $500 dollars over two years through DIY jobs and spending $200 at one time and having a durable solution.
With a professional provider of plumbing services in Orange County at your service, you will have any range of plumbing issues sorted out once and for all, saving you a lot of money through prevention of major plumbing repairs or water damage repair.
You’ll Get Fully Guaranteed Work
Most plumbing firms provide guarantee for their work. Consequently, when you hire such specialists to execute any plumbing work on your premises, they are going to provide guarantee or warranties for the job they do. This means that if the plumbing system builds up issues before the guarantee has ended, the plumbers will take accountability for any costs.
Cali’s Choice
Cali’s Choice is a company offering plumbing services in Orange County for a long time. A family-owned business, we have been serving Californians for several decades. Having served millions over the years, the company has gained invaluable experience and insights to meet any scope of residential and commercial plumbing requirements.
We do not charge exorbitant rates and neither do we believe that charging higher improves our brand value. We are about serving people and come to you with a focus on delivering very affordable services with a guarantee of quality.
Cali’s Choice also has teams in Orange County that specialize in sophisticated plumbing installations and repairs that involve plumbing products of top international quality.
Whatever your plumbing needs, you can feel free to contact us. Cali’s Choice Orange County is here to serve and guarantee a high level of customer satisfaction.
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