At one time or another, we’re bound to encounter a plumbing problem at our Miami home or any other home for that matter. This can disrupt our everyday schedule and add to our already stressful lives. Five of the most common plumbing issues can easily be remedied, either by yourself or by a licensed Miami professional plumber.
Plumbing Tip #1
Slow draining sinks – If your Miami home is susceptible to slow draining sinks, the culprit is the accumulation of sludge build up in your pipes. This is more common in older homes. No matter how many chemicals you use or how hard you plunge it’s not going to correct your problem.
Ultimately, the pipes need to be cleaned or snaked. Snaking the pipes is done from the roof through the vent pipes. You can rent a snake unit at your neighborhood equipment rental facility or hire a licensed plumbing professional in Miami.
If you decide to do it yourself, it requires a fair amount of force down the vents with the snake, probably requiring between 50-100 motions down each stack. Also, you should “snake out” the drain clean outs, which can be found at ground level.
Plumbing Tip #2
Slow/Low water volume through the shower head – More likely than not when the water pressure is too low when coming out of the shower head it’s due to the build up of lime-scale, the byproduct of hard water, which is very common in Miami. The shower head should be removed and disassembled, then cleaned (with vinegar to break down the lime-scale) every 3-4 months.
Plumbing Tip #3
Slow/Low volume through sink faucets – The restricted volume of water through your sink faucets is usually due to 1 of 2 reasons (sometimes both). The first being calcium build up (a.k.a. lime-scale. The second is due to gravel build up in the faucet head screen.
You’ll need to clean out the screen. At the point of water flow, twist the head clockwise to remove. Be sure to examine and remember how you took it apart so that you can reassemble it exactly the same. When you’ve got it apart, you’ll notice gravel on the inside of the screen and/or limescale that is restricting the water flow. Just clean it and reassemble.
Plumbing Tip #4
Always know where your main water shut off is. This might sound too simple or even stupid to suggest, but there is a very, very high percentage of residential home owners that have no idea where the main source for water is coming in from the street.
Most homes have the water “main” at the curb; usually, there is an access point at the sidewalk (if your home has a sidewalk). Knowing this will save a lot of heartaches if and when a plumbing emergency occurs.
Plumbing Tip #5
DO NOT flush anything other than toilet paper. Toilets are to be used only what they were made for, nothing else. Anything denser than toilet paper can and will eventually clog the drain/sewer pipe stopping up the toilet. Sanitary napkins, paper towels, and any other type of paper should be disposed of elsewhere.
Plumbing issues are going to occur; it’s a fact of life. By following a few common sense rules and performing a few “easy as cake” maintenance duties, you can help prevent those stressful, lives to disrupt plumbing disasters.
Always remember, even when following all the possible preventative measures, something still can break. If that does occur, there’s always your Miami licensed professional plumber like Douglas Plumbing, Inc. We can handle various plumbing concerns and provide residential plumbing in Miami.