Additional Information

 

MOST COMMON PLUMBING PROBLEMS IN OLDER HOMES

 

Galvanized Pipes

 

The galvanic process means coating an iron pipe with molten zinc to prevent the iron from corroding. The zinc lasts a while, but not forever. As the zinc erodes, the exposed iron begins to rust. This can cause pipes to fail, but the warning signal is easy to spot: Your water will become discolored from the rust in it.

The answer is to have galvanized pipes professionally replaced by modern alternatives, such as copper or PEX (Cross-Linked Polyethylene). A well-trained plumber and assistant can perform this work in relatively short time, ensuring a constant water pressure, no odd taste or color to your water and no leaks.

 

Pipe Bellies

 

As your Phoenix home rises and falls in its surrounding soil, the pipes leading into your home will rise and fall, too. When they buckle or bow, they form a pipe belly, a low spot that defies gravity’s pull on sewage. While this settling occurs slowly, you will eventually notice poor drainage, slow-flushing toilets and, ultimately, a clogged sewer line.

Similar to pipe bellies are pipe channeling, where hard water carves its own channel in the bottom of a sewer pipe, rendering it very weak.

 

Polybutylene Pipe

 

Once thought of as a great water pipe product, polybutylene pipe (PB) was used from the late ’70s into the early ’90s because of its low cost and easy installation. It breaks down with exposure to water and water’s dissolved solids, so it is not acceptable anymore. As time goes on, homeowners experience more and more polybutylene pipe problems.

If you have an entire house piped in PB, you need the services of an experienced local plumber to replace every run, every elbow and tee, and every connection to fixtures throughout your house. Otherwise a leak could destroy furniture, furnishings, flooring and more.

 

Sewer Lines

 

Sewers and sewer lines are definitely at the top of a lot of people’s old house plumbing problems. Sewer lines take your home’s gray and black water from drains to the sewer main, where it travels on to a municipal treatment plant. Sewer lines are always wet, so they attract tree roots. Cast iron pipes are particularly susceptible to cracking and intrusion by tree roots, which can completely clog a line.

Professional plumbers can send a camera into your home’s sewer pipe to diagnose channeling and bellies, and they can find and fix tree roots that clog your pipe. This is a much more affordable option than the disgusting and expensive issues created by a sewer backing up.

 

Drains

 

Fifty years of draining water, soap scum, sewage and shampoo can take a toll on your older Phoenix home’s drains. Clogs develop in pipes in all drains, but toilet, kitchen, and bathroom sink drains are particularly prone to clogs.

Toilets are infamous targets for children, fascinated by the disappearing act. While you may never know a small action figure or toy car went down the toilet, you will know a backed-up toilet when it strikes. A small item could start a very slow-building clog.

Kitchen sink drains also tend to accept things that should not go down the drain, like kitchen fats, bits of food that should go through a sink strainer and even bone. You can do your part, of course, by keeping waste out of the kitchen sink or having a garbage disposal installed, but in an older home you will not know what others have stuffed down there before you.

 

Original Fixtures

 

While some original fixtures are notably sturdier and of better quality than their corresponding modern fixtures, many older ones simply wear out with time. Washers and valves degrade and cause leaks. Stems and handles break. If your home still has its original spigots, faucets, handles and valves, you may not notice the tiny leaks that lead to higher water bills and unpleasant smells.

A worry spot in any home is the shut-off valve for a toilet. This little-used valve attaches where the rigid pipe exits the wall, down below the tank, and a flexible metal and plastic tube connects the water supply to the tank. That shut-off valve can get stuck in its typical, open position, so any attempt to close it may actually cause it to leak. A trained plumber can replace not only the flexible tube to the toilet tank, but the antiquated or stuck shut-off valve. This means you never have to worry about turning off the water to the toilet should a bowl clog cause your toilet to back up.

https://www.acehomeaz.com/blog/common-plumbing-problems-older-homes/

 

How to Fix Common Household Plumbing Issues

Doing the repair services yourselves on these straightforward plumbing troubles can conserve you lots of money. As a property owner, you will certainly experience lots of various plumbing troubles that sometimes make an annoyance.

 

 

Low Tide Pressure

Is a person from your household whining that there's reduced water pressure from the sink? If yes, then the trouble is the aerator within the sink which may have a whole lot of sedimentation resulting in low water pressure.

 

 

Running Toilet

You may have experienced a running toilet, which can be quite aggravating because the container won't fill out. At the same time, leaving it alone corresponds to drainage and spiking up your water expenses. For starters, identify what's triggering it to run. You might need to change any of the following commode systems:
Commode fill valve
Leaking flush shutoff
Bathroom flapper

 

 

Malfunctioning Garbage Disposal System

This irritating issue is also high on the listing of usual plumbing problems. If you lose it, you will require an Allen wrench to deal with the issue. You have to go under the sink as well as look for the area where you can put the trick.

 

 

Slow Draining Sink

This is the most typical problem of property owners, with the sink gathering a great deal of hair, grease, debris, and also other gunk gradually. The only way to get a smooth flowing drainpipe once more is to clear the particles. Initially, you can use a plumbing tool for angling out the debris. From there, you can utilize a store-bought drainpipe cleaner to clean the lines.

 

 

Slow Tub Drain

This is another pesky hassle because the bathtub is just one of the most previously owned fixtures in your washroom. Similar to the sink drainpipe, hair, soap residue, dead skin cells, and various other gunk swimming pool in the drainpipe commonly. You need to stand out open the drainpipe cover and also utilize a bathtub claw to get rid of the particles. Do this ASAP before the drain blocks completely. After making use of the claw, you can put drain cleaner to refresh the drain lines.

You can constantly call in a plumber to get specialist help if all of these sound tiresome for you. Seeking specialist assistance indicates conserving effort and time. Due to the fact that you can relax ensured that your straightforward plumbing trouble will certainly not intensify, you might even finish up saving money in the lengthy run. Just make sure you call a credible company with licenses and also qualifications since you will certainly be welcoming complete strangers in your house. Obviously, you need to see to it that you deal with a person you can trust.


Some plumbing problems are a lot more usual as well as can be conveniently fixed. Doing the repair services yourselves on these straightforward plumbing problems can save you loads of cash. As a house owner, you will certainly experience several different plumbing issues that occasionally make a hassle. You can use a plumbing device for fishing out the particles. You may also finish up saving cash in the lengthy run because you can rest guaranteed that your straightforward plumbing issue will not rise.

 

Hopefully you enjoyed reading our part on DIY Plumbing Fixes. Thank you for taking the time to browse our posting. Be sure to take a moment to share this blog posting if you liked it. We truly appreciate reading our article about DIY Plumbing Fixes.

Schedule Appointment