Have you ever been in a situation where you needed to call an emergency plumber in Rockwall, TX? Did you vow you’d never do it again because it was expensive and a hassle? Fortunately, most plumbing emergencies are completely avoidable. All you need is a little know-how about what causes certain plumbing problems and how to prevent them.
Here’s a list of eight common plumbing problems affecting many households and what you can do to keep them from becoming costly emergencies.
1. Clogged Toilets
Nothing is grosser and more alarming than a clogged toilet that backs up and spills out onto the bathroom floor. When this happens, plunging might not do the trick. You’ll probably need to call an emergency plumber to fix the problem. Fortunately, you can avoid most clogged toilet issues.
Residential toilets clog for a couple of reasons. The first reason is that someone flushed something that didn’t belong in it. Besides waste, the only thing that should ever be flushed is toilet paper — and limited amounts, at that. You should never flush things like cleansing wipes and facial tissues, even if the package says they’re flushable. Toilet paper is the only item made to break down in pipes quickly. Everything else takes longer to dissolve and could potentially catch debris and cause clogs. The second reason relates to the type of toilet you have. If you have older low-flow or slow-flow toilets in your household, you might experience more clogs. Newer models of these types of toilets are better at handling high usage, leading to fewer clogs.
2. Burst Pipes
Burst pipes can cause a lot of costly damage to your home. You can stop the pipe from leaking by turning off the home’s water supply, but you’ll need an emergency plumber to repair the pipe. If you want to avoid burst pipes, the best way is to maintain your home’s pipes in good condition. Here are some things you can do to prevent burst pipes:
- Replace old, damaged piping
- Schedule drain cleaning services to keep pipes from becoming partially clogged
- Plant trees and bushes more than 10 feet from underground pipes
- Ensure water pressure through your pipes is below 80 psi
3. Sewer Backups
A backed-up sewer line can cause a serious odor problem in your home. It can also cause toilets, sinks, and floor drains to back up with raw sewage. Any time you have a sewer backup, you need an emergency plumber. Being mindful about what you pour down the drains in your house is the first defense again this nasty plumbing problem. Every drain in your home releases water into the sewage system, not just the toilet drains. That’s why you want to avoid putting anything in the sink or shower drains that doesn’t belong. For example, never pour cooking grease or fats down the drain, as they are a common pipe-clogging culprit. Throw them in the trash. To keep sewer pipes from clogging, you should also consider using a hair trap over shower or bath drains to keep hair from building up in the pipes.
4. Clogged Shower Drains
If you have a clogged shower or tub drain, it can turn into a plumbing emergency in a heartbeat and prevent you from using the fixture temporarily. If you only have one bathroom in your house, you can imagine how inconvenient it would be to wait for repairs! Fortunately, you can avoid sink and tub clogs by maintaining these drains and avoiding using chemical drain cleaners when they’re blocked. Instead of DIY techniques, it’s always best to call a plumber for professional maintenance to keep clogged sinks and tubs from becoming an emergency.
5. Damaged Water Supply Lines
Water supply lines that break can quickly lead to flooding problems. Water supply lines may break due to the age of the pipe, frequent high water pressure use, or digging too close to the underground line. One way to prevent plumbing emergencies related to broken water supply lines is to schedule an annual pipe inspection.
6. No Hot Water
You might think not having hot water isn’t a real plumbing emergency, but hot water is more than a modern-day luxury. It’s a necessity for day-to-day living. When you don’t have hot water, the culprit is often a damaged water heater. Problems that can cause water heaters to stop working include:
- A broken thermocouple
- Damaged heating elements
- Leaks
- Sediment buildup
The best way to avoid most of these water heater problems is to schedule an annual maintenance visit with an experienced plumber. The plumber will flush the water heater to get rid of sediment and check its key components to ensure it’s working well. Well-maintained water heaters not only require fewer emergency repairs, but they last longer and save their owners money!
7. Slab Leaks
A slab leak is a leak that happens in a water pipe under your home’s concrete slab. Slab leaks quickly become emergencies because they often go unnoticed until the basement floods or you notice your flooring or baseboards have water damage. If you want to avoid the high costs of this common plumbing emergency, pay attention to skyrocketing water bills for no apparent reason and water puddling at your home’s lowest level. Schedule a leak detection appointment right away to gain control of the situation before it gets out of hand.
8. Sump Pump Problems
Sump pumps keep direct water away from your home during heavy rainfall to keep your basement or lowest level from flooding. If your sump pump isn’t working, your house is at risk of water damage. To avoid sump pump failure, have a plumber inspect it yearly. The plumber will perform specific testing to make sure all your sump pump’s mechanical parts work as intended.
Regular Plumbing Maintenance Is Key to Avoiding Most Plumbing Emergencies
The truth is that you can’t control everything that happens with your plumbing. Sometimes leaks spring or toilets clog for reasons beyond your control. What you can control is how well you maintain your home’s plumbing. That’s why plumbers recommend scheduling yearly maintenance visits. Annual maintenance service that includes drain cleaning, a video camera inspection, and leak detection gives you peace of mind that your plumbing doesn’t have any major problems that could result in costly and inconvenient emergency repairs.
Contact the Best Emergency Plumbers
When plumbing emergencies show up in your home, don’t stress! Know that you have a team of professionals waiting to help you out. If you live in Rockwall, TX or the surrounding communities, contact the licensed plumbers at Bacon Plumbing Heating Air Electric. Whether you need burst pipe repair, water heater repair, drain cleaning services, or water softener installation, our licensed plumbers are ready to help you out! Helping households manage their plumbing issues is only one thing our team does well. We also offer top-rated HVAC installation, repair, and maintenance services in addition to electrical system repair and maintenance. Call us at Bacon Plumbing Heating Air Electric today to schedule your next appointment with one of our experienced technicians!
