The bathroom is, surprisingly, one of the most used rooms in your house, and it’s often not until a plumbing emergency pops up that we really understand the complexity of it. Many plumbing issues can be an easy DIY fix, so we’ve covered everything from blocked drains and toilets, to leaky taps and what tools everyone should have on hand to help in a plumbing emergency.
Leaking shower taps
A dripping shower head is a relatively common problem, and luckily, it can be super simple to fix yourself. Here are some steps that may help you in fixing your leaking shower taps.
- Remove your shower head and clean the inlet, keep this off to avoid flushing through any broken pieces of washer or brass in to the head.
- Turn the water off and remove the taps from the wall.
- Remove the spindles and clean the tap body.
- Inspect the brass seats where the washer sits against for splits or corrosion, the breecher seats must have a smooth surface for the washers to seal against. If you do notice any splits, call in a professional.
- Replace the o-rings, body washers, and tap washers.
- Lubricate the o-rings, and reinstate the taps in the open position, this ensures the body of the tap screws back entirely and seals.
- Turn the water back on and flush the line.
- Check for leaks and re-instate the shower head.
If these steps don’t work, it’s likely there is a small split or defect in the breecher seats, and a plumber will be required to prevent further damage.
Dripping taps are annoying and can turn out to be an expensive problem if not fixed quickly. To put it into perspective, a tap that drips one drop per second wastes the equivalent of over 11,356 litres per year!
Blocked shower drain
Have you noticed that you are standing in an inch of water when you shower? This is a sign that your drain may be blocked. A relatively common issue, this can be caused by a build up of hair and oil-based products.
Using a drain snake is a super easy way to clean a blockage in your drain. This will catch and break up whatever is blocking your drain, and disposable ones can be purchased from any good hardware store.
To avoid more blocked drains in the future, consider purchasing a drain cover, skipping oil-based shower products, and avoid putting anything other than water down the drain.
Leaking toilet cistern
A leakingis one of our most common call-outs, and although there are many possible causes, the most common is a float valve or inlet valve which has failed. It is very easy to identify that the inlet valve has failed as you will hear it hissing constantly. Here are some steps that may help you replace your faulty inlet valve.
- Turn off the water supply to the toilet cistern.
- Drain the cistern by releasing the flush mechanism, and remove the flexible hose on the valve.
- Disconnect the float or inlet valve, and place a new one in position at the correct height.
- Connect a new flexible hose to the valve, never re-use a flexible hose !
- Turn the water on and test for leaks.
If these steps don’t work, it is likely that the seating washer is allowing water to pass in to the bowl and will need to be replaced.
Plumbing tools everyone needs
It’s always good to have a small selection of plumbing tools on hand should any issue arise. We recommend purchasing:
- Plunger
- Drain snake
- Adjustable shifter
- Multi-grips
- Heavy duty rubber gloves
While these are great solutions to small plumbing problems, you may find that they don’t always work. This indicates a bigger problem, and lucky for you Hydro X Plumbing & Gas are here to help. A locally owned and operated Adelaide business, we provide all services relating to plumbing and gas-fitting, including emergencies. If you have an issue or are worried about something in your home, give us a call today on 8317 3800.