It’s safe to say owning a home comes with it’s fair share of responsibilities, right? Whether that be on the financial side of things or general up-keep items, maintaining it is going to inevitably require some time and effort. As you might guess, with this being a plumbing blog, one component that’s always included amongst those responsibilities is your plumbing system! It’s intertwined with so many different components you use on a daily basis that it’s impossible to ignore.
For those new to our blog, welcome to Stine-Nichols Plumbing. Based out of North Kansas City, MO, our team takes pride in providing just about every service plumbing-related. Water heater installations, running new gas lines, clearing clogged drains, installing water softeners, you name it! As such, we’ve run into a wide range of plumbing issues and feel confident in our ability to diagnose problems before coming up with effective solutions. With that being said, this week’s blog post is going to be fairly straightforward. We’ll discuss a few of the most common plumbing issues that homeowners face and how you can know what to look for to ensure it doesn’t become an even bigger problem.
Running Toilet
Everyone’s had a running toilet at one time or another in their lives. It’s definitely something that can seem like a nominal problem at the time and not necessarily anything that would require immediate attention. Simply put, when a toilet is running, there is a leak. While this may not make a massive difference on your monthly water bill, it can lead to quite a bit of water wasted. And when you realize these are generally easy fixes, it’ll make you realize that it’s surely worth taking the time needed to get repaired. For instance, one of the more common problems tied to a running toilet is a faulty flapper. If you take a look at Home Depot, a standard flapper isn’t going to cost you very much, maybe $10. So, if you’re feeling inspired and want to take on a small DIY repair, this could be the one to tackle!
Clogged Garbage Disposal
Just as everyone has experienced a running toilet before, the same can be said about a clogged garbage disposal. Even though it could seem like your garbage disposal is powerful enough to break through any food particles, every garbage disposal will eventually meet its match. A perfect first step that any homeowner can do before calling out a plumber is to hit the reset button on the disposal. Some of the time, this will do the trick, but that is not always the case. After that, any experienced plumber should be able to tell the difference between a garbage disposal that’s simply clogged up and one that’s needing to be replaced.
Not sure which garbage disposal you need for your home? You’ll definitely want to check out our recent blog that highlights some of the main features you’ll want to look for. Whether that be the motor size, brand or anything else, it’s definitely worth the time to find a model that makes sense for your particular needs. Click HERE to check it out.
Dripping Faucet
As was the case with the running toilet mentioned above, a dripping faucet is another thing that isn’t necessarily the worst thing to experience, but nonetheless is something that’s worth fixing. Leaks can occur in so many different places of a home. Toilets, showerheads, faucets, you name it. In fact, leaks waste so much water each and every year that the EPA has a designated “Fix a Leak Week.” As stated on the EPA’s website, “a leaky faucet that drips at the rate of one drip per second can waste more than 3,000 gallons per year. That’s the amount of water needed to take more than 180 showers!”
All in all, this makes it quite clear that a dripping faucet can, in fact, be quite wasteful. A few of the many causes include damaged cartridges, water pressure issues or even a faulty O-Ring. Nonetheless, as is true with many of the items on this list, it’s easy to ignore these small issues and put them off for quite some time. However, considering the repair can be relatively inexpensive and not very time consuming, it makes sense to just get it fixed.
Sump Pump Problems
One plumbing component that tends to get overlooked, yet is still an invaluable piece of your overall plumbing system, is the sump pump. Your sump pump is responsible for removing excess water from your house, in an effort to prevent any water damage or interior flooding. Definitely something you want to avoid at all costs! However, for most homeowners, the sump pump isn’t really used all that often and can easily be something you forget about. And unfortunately, unless you remember to routinely test it, there’s always the chance it could fail you when it’s actually needed. Having said all of that, what are some of the more common sump pump problems that we’ve seen?
Old Age – Whether it be your garbage disposal, water heater, faucet or any other plumbing piece, just about every plumbing fixture/appliance will eventually need to be replaced due to old age or general wear and tear. Obviously it depends on how often it’s used, but generally speaking, you can expect to get roughly 10 years out of a sump pump.
Troubles With the Discharge Line – The discharge line is responsible for taking the water from the pit and dispersing it out away from your house. However, if you have a clog in the discharge line, it’s not hard to see how this could impact the operation of your sump pump.
Power Outage – The most common instance in which you would need your sump pump is when a strong storm comes through and there is heavy rainfall, right? Well, what can also accompany these strong storms? Power outages. The last thing you want is a power outage to knock out your sump pump too. Luckily, a battery backup is all you need to alleviate any of those concerns!
Other Common Plumbing Issues
Considering just how many different things can go wrong with a household plumbing system, we could likely spend all day walking through the various different scenarios. Throughout this blog post, we discussed a few of the more common ones homeowners are faced with. Running toilets, clogged garbage disposals, dripping faucets and sump pump malfunctions. However, before we wrap up this week’s blog, a few more to add to your list include water heater problems, water pressure issues, slow shower drains and frozen pipes (just in time for the wintertime!).
Have a Few Plumbing Issues You Need Fixed?
As evidenced throughout this blog, there are certainly quite a few small plumbing problems that can pop up from time-to-time. While not all of them require immediate attention, the longer you let them sit, the increased susceptibility there is for bigger headaches in the future. Here at Stine-Nichols Plumbing, our licensed plumbing technicians have years of experience fixing a wide range of plumbing problems. No matter if that’s something as simple as a clogged garbage disposal or as complex as a bathroom remodel, we have you covered! To get started and receive a free quote, you’re more than welcome to give us a call at (816) 348-3481 or fill out the form HERE. We’re based out of North Kansas City, MO, but serve the entire Kansas City area, as well as all of the surrounding cities!