The Horrors Of Apartment Plumbing
No one wishes to experience any plumbing issues in their homes. But then again, some problems are just inevitably hard to go around. No matter how new your apartment looks, you can expect a problem or two in your plumbing with time. This shouldn’t prevent you from moving into a new apartment though. It’s just that, most plumbing issues don’t happen overnight. It’s after a few weeks or months of usage that you’ll start realizing problems here and there.
Learning a few DIY plumbing tricks can be an amazing idea since you’ll know how to address minor plumbing issues such as a clogged kitchen sink. If you live in an apartment in Auckland, you will agree that plumbing problems are not uncommon in the City of Sails. Like in many other places, some of these issues can be quite complex to address on your own. The guys from the website https://www.lasergroup.co.nz/region-landing/auckland/plumbing, insist that especially for major plumbing issues or emergencies, hiring a skilled plumber is the best way to go. This is because you may not have the experience, tools, and expertise required to handle these issues. You may also not have enough time at your disposal. For these and more reasons, the best way to protect yourself and your property is to have a professional address your plumbing problems as soon as possible. It may or may not be a stereotype, but people say that in most cases, the condition of plumbing systems in apartments and other shared residential units can be a huge nightmare.
On this note, here are some common horrors of apartment plumbing.
1. Blocked Toilets
Apartment plumbing is perhaps the most complicated of all plumbing. This is because a problem originating from a single unit can affect the entire building. Most renters have had the experience of a blocked toilet. It’s an all too familiar problem to dismiss. Most of these problems originate from renters who are not keen on the objects they throw into the toilet. You want to ensure that whatever you throw in there is water-soluble. Hard objects such as papers, toys, and sanitary towels, to mention but a few, are among the many objects plumbers extract from clogged toilets. Clogged toilets pose serious health threats if they are not addressed as soon as possible.
When this happens, you want to ensure that you have a toilet plunger close by. But it may do you no good having one if the problem doesn’t originate from your unit. You, therefore, need to call your landlord pronto or a plumbing company to help you out.
2. Leaking Bathroom Faucets
Unless it’s causing someone sleepless nights from the sound of dripping water, most people will completely ignore leaking faucets. One thing to note, however, is that the more you sweep this problem under the rug, the more water you’ll continue to waste and your water bills will continue to rise. So, you want to ensure that this problem is fixed immediately. Here’s how:
- Identify the origin of the leaks
- Replace the aerator with a new one
- Fix the base leaks by replacing the O-ring
- Call and experienced plumber
3. Clogged Sink Drains
Kitchens are perhaps the busiest rooms in a house. This is where food is prepared and cooked. It’s therefore important to maintain high levels of hygiene because a simple problem such as a clogged kitchen drain can pose serious health threats. There is a good reason why they placed a sink strainer, but no matter how much you try, you’ll at some point end up with a clogged sink.
This problem extends to the bathroom, specifically in the bathtub. Usually, after washing your hair, some of it can get stuck in the bathroom drains, causing real nightmares. To fix this, consider investing in a liquid or powder drain cleaner that is available in most hardware stores or the supermarket. Just follow the instructions and ensure to rinse the drains after they’re clear from any debris.
4. Frozen Pipes
During winter, exposed pipes bear the brunt of freezing temperatures. Now, one thing to note is that depending on the pipe material, frozen pipes can cause damaging plumbing problems if not addressed in good time. Ideally, frozen water expands and this can cause weak plastic pipes to burst. In most cases, this can result in flooding and in the worst-case scenario, it can cause water damage, especially to your flooring. Now, if you don’t have renter’s insurance, it’s time to consider one before things get out of hand. At this point, all you can do is play your part in draining the floors and preventing water from getting to your appliances. But before you get busy, call your landlord immediately and ensure that they’ve called a professional plumber for the repairs.
In most cases, when plumbing problems happen in apartments, renters panic and get into frantic runs. But out of desperation, they end up making a bigger mess. If you’re not handy, consider leaving plumbing repair jobs to the professionals. But if you can, DIYing can save you a lot of bucks in the long run. In addition to this, before fixing up any plumbing issues, whether from your expenses or DIY, it’s imperative to inform your landlord about such repairs to avoid breaching your lease.
