When You’re Needing A Similar Plumbing Repair Repeatedly, What Could It Indicate? | Atlanta, GA
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When your toilet keeps clogging, your sink keeps backing up, or you’re experiencing leaks in your pipes, you probably start to ask questions after a few plumbing repairs, wondering why it keeps happening. At Peach Plumbing & Drain, in Atlanta, GA, we take repeated plumbing repair calls of the same type, in the same location, or even just similar to previous issues, as a sign to think about what the deeper problem could be. For example, if the toilets in your upstairs bathrooms are backing up, not just a single one, you may be experiencing clogs in the secondary piping or in other locations that are affecting more than one fixture. In the extreme case, a sewer backup can produce problems in fixtures throughout your basement, and even on the floors above. Pipe leaks can indicate damage to a single pipe, or sufficient corrosion or other pipe problems to produce leaks throughout your home as time passes. Depending on the age of your home, you may find that even your water supply line is affected by pipe aging and corrosion problems that are showing up inside. It’s important to think about the big picture to avoid wasting water and keep from damaging your home with a water supply and even wastewater leaks that are expensive to clean up.
A Repeated Repair Case Story: When the Drain Problem Is Up Above
An example of how repeated repair problems can lead a skilled plumbing repair expert to “think outside the box” is the problem of a blocked plumbing vent, usually on the roof. The vent provides an air intake to equalize pressure and allow wastewater to move freely downward in the drains. Blockages in the vent, perhaps from a nest of some kind built-in it or material is blown in from a storm, can appear as drains that have trouble emptying or even drain backups on the floors below. As these blockages continue to occur, repeated repairs might provide some relief, but since the problem is not in the drains themselves, there could be many plumbing service calls. If the blockage gets dislodged naturally, that could make the drain cleaning seem effective over time. If the blockage worsens, it could lead to more extensive drain plumbing repairs. If an expert plumber locates and clears the plumbing vent blockage, the root of the blockages can be addressed. While vent blockages are not common, it’s an excellent example of how repeated problems can be misinterpreted, leading to multiple attempted plumbing repairs.
Another Drain Blockage Problem and a Good Reason for Annual Drain Cleaning Service
Downstream from sinks, toilets, and showers, clogs can form in the pipes running from floor to floor that carry combined waste and water flow down to the sewer line. Homeowners who aren’t aware of the potential for blockage further down the line can experience a confusing combination of clogs and backups that appear to be local problems but are symptoms of the slowdown in the line further on. When toilet flushes lead to sink backups, or backups and clogs occur in multiple bathrooms on the same floor, they may suspect that it’s a large problem that plunger and auger in a single fixture won’t address. A simple plumbing repair addressing the clog further on can solve multiple drain problems at once in this case. Also, this is an important reason why many homeowners have an annual drain cleaning service, to reduce the number of plumbing repair calls in the following year, especially emergency ones, by clearing the pipes in a preventive manner.
Same Pipes, Similar Leaks
Chances are, your home’s original plumbing consists of the same materials throughout. There’s copper or PVC or another material in the pipes that carry your water supply in from the street and throughout the house. Your pipes could spring a leak due to vibration over time, perhaps being run too close to other objects in the walls so that, over time, the material wears thin and leaks. One plumbing repair should take care of it. On the other hand, if your pipes are wearing thin from corrosion, or weakening due to aging PVC materials, you may have another leak, and another, in a variety of locations over time, each causing significant damage to your home from the insides of the walls including degrading building materials, supporting mold and mildew growth, and creating dangerous corrosion in your electrical system. In that case, our plumbing repair experts can perform leak detection using modern technologies to locate other leaks. We use video inspection to check the condition of the pipes. If needed, pipe replacement can be performed, or even whole-house repiping if needed, a procedure that’s becoming fairly common as homes age. In addition, when your pipe material is in question, it’s time to think about your water supply line’s condition as well, especially if you have water pressure problems or high water usage issues.
Water Hammer Problems
If shutting off faucets, or ending fill cycles in your washing machine or dishwasher as it prepares to wash your clothes or dishes, results in a loud bang in your pipes, you probably have “water hammer” problems. These spikes in water pressure can damage your appliances and plumbing fixtures, so it’s important to get water hammer arrestors installed as a preventive measure. Without these, you may wonder why you have had so many appliance repairs over the years, especially valve replacements. It pays to know patterns.
Your Expert Problem-Solving Plumber in Atlanta, GA
Peach Plumbing & Drain is the Atlanta, GA plumber to call when you want to make sure your plumbing is well taken care of, both in the small repair jobs and the bigger issues that sometimes arise. Our experience helps us consider the complexities of your home’s plumbing, and offer the best service options for your situation. If you want to get your repairs done right the first time, we’re the ones to call. We look forward to hearing from you!
