Blog

Essential Plumbing Tips for New Homeowners

My years of experience as a plumber in Sydney have shown that new home owners lack in basic plumbing skills of handling emergencies or minor plumbing problems. I have often arrived at a client’s house and found it in a soggy mess just from a simple valve failure.

I realise that you don’t want plumbing projects to be part of your weekend or evening schedules. Knowing how to deal with simple plumbing problems can save you a lot of heartache as you settle into your new house.

Common Plumbing Issues

An author at Aqua Plumbing & Air lists some of the common plumbing problems that you may find in your new house as:

• Dripping faucets: It’s a common problem mainly caused by a worn-out washer, among other factors. The dripping of water after you shut it off can be quite irritating, especially at night. This could be at the sink or bath tub. If this problem persists, it will escalate your utility bills.
• Slow and clogged drains: This is when water at the sink, tub or toilet won’t go out due to a clog.
• Leaking pipes: These occur normally at the joints or along the pipes.

What You Need to Troubleshoot the Issues

To deal with such problems, you should have certain tools at hand which include putty, clamps, plungers and more. These can be handy if the problem is minor and can offer a temporary fix before contacting a Sydney plumber.

As Walter Glenn, a blogger at Lifehack explains, working on most plumbing problems requires that you shut off the water first. Typically, it is the main supply. Therefore, the knowledge of the locations of all the shut off valves is important.

Having the right tools and being aware of the problems that could arise will save you from panic if the professional plumber delays. You can learn how to do some of these repairs yourself from online videos and do-it-yourself sites, but if you accidentally snap off a valve while at it, seek professional help from a Sydney plumber.