Need a quick answer to a headache with your plumbing? The top five most frequently asked plumbing questions are:
Why Does My Toilet Keep Running?
This is the most frequently asked plumbing question. In most cases, it is caused by the flapper not closing to create a proper seal around the flush valve. If the flapper is not closing, jiggle the handle and it often will fix the issue. If the flapper is worn out and not appropriately sealed, then the flapper must be replaced.
What Can I Put in My Garbage Disposal?
Garbage disposals will only break up soft debris. Items like mashed potatoes, cooked carrots, lemons, ice cubes, and eggs are ok to put in the disposal. Things like bones, coffee grounds, grease, potato peels, banana peels, rice, watermelon rinds, and eggshells will wear the blades and jam the disposal. You should always run water whenever your disposal is in use to help break down the foods and flush them down the drain.
Why Does My Drain Clog?
Kitchen drains often get clogged because people are not vigilant about what goes in the drain. To troubleshoot, run very hot water down the drain to soften the clog, followed by a squirt of dish detergent and then more hot water. Stand by for a few minutes, and then employ a plunger before repeating the application of hot water.
Other drains, like the bathroom, get clogged due to a buildup of residues from soap and hair. Eventually, this gunk accumulates and reduces water flow. To troubleshoot this problem, remove and clean the drain stopper.
Is It Safe to Use Chemical Drain Cleaners?
Drain cleaners are very toxic. These are never good products to have laying around your house particularly if you have kids or pets. Not only are toxic chemicals dangerous for your kids and pets, but they are also bad for your pipes, causing them to deteriorate from the inside out. If this happens your drain lines will have to be replaced.
Why Do I Run Out of Hot Water?
Most electric water heaters have 2 that heat the water. The top element and the lower element. If you are running out of hot water quickly, the lower element is probably not working and only the top portion of the tank is being heated.
If you have a gas hot water tank, the most common suspect is the dip tube. The dip tube is a piece of pipe that carries the cold water to the bottom of the tank to get heated. Eventually, this dip tube can get shorter causing the cold water to mix with the hot creating tepid water.
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