Top 10 Common Plumbing Mistakes
Unlike the leaks, cracks, and breakdowns that can be the inevitable result of the wear-and-tear of everyday life, these issued are caused by either a misunderstanding or common lack of foresight when handling DIY projects.
Pushing A Faucet Handle With A Leak
- Most dripping taps are caused by some sort of wear and tear in the interior of the fixture. It may be tempting trying to resolve a leak by pushing excessively on the handle, but more often than not this leads to further damage to tap Inappropriate things down the drain / toilet
- Stripping Threads
- Similar to pushing too hard on faucet handles, over-tightening or pushing at plumbing components can weaken them- causing them to leak or break over time.
- Putting too much weight on fixtures.
- Heavy and crowded shampoo racks hanging off of showerheads, drying clothes on exposed pipes, or other unnecessary weight can cause strain and damage on plumbing fixtures. While they are convenient, these areas are not built to hold weight, and are prone to snapping off or breaking from the strain.
- Over-tightening and deforming pipes
- This is especially for old piping more susceptible to damage. Putting too much pressure on pipes with wrenches or pliers can easily result in round pipes warping. This affect can result in leaks or rendering them unable to join up with other fixtures.
- Over-using or using the wrong chemical drain cleaners.
- Commercial drain cleaners are a great way to clear out stubborn residue, and it may be tempting to use whenever you are faced with a slow moving drain. However, overuse of these caustic chemicals can eat away at metal and plastic piping over time. If you are consistently met with slow moving pipes, it may pay to try alternatives such as a pipe snake to clear up stubborn drains. You should also make sure to never use a commercial drain cleaner intended for a kitchen or bathroom sink on your toilet, as the difference in plumbing could lead to future problems.
- Mismatched pipes.
- With DIY plumbing, it’s important to match the size and shape of your pipes – but also the material as well. For example, connecting a pipe of copper to one of galvanised metal will quickly result in corrosion and leaks. In these situations, you will want to make sure a fitting of brass or other suitable material is used to connect these elements.
- Scratching chrome finishing with inappropriate tools.
- Chrome showerheads or faucets can be easily scratched and tarnished by the teeth of a wrench or plier. For these features, use a flexible strap wrench specifically designed to preserve chrome finishing on your DIY projects. These are also great on oddly-shaped fixtures due to their versatile shape.
- Taking things apart and forgetting how to put them back together.
- It can be easy to get caught up in taking things apart to solve a problem, but many aspiring DIY hobbyist can find themselves faced with an entirely new problem when they realise that they can’t get the item in question back together again. When working with a fixture with many intricate parts, such as a tap or faucet, assembly order is critical. When tackling projects yourself, it can be extremely useful to either lay out your parts in the order they were removed, or taking ‘before’ and ‘after’ photos to remind yourself of how things originally looked.
If you find yourself facing a tricky plumbing problem, don’t hesitate to call your local emergency plumber for fast and friendly assistance.
Interesting to read the information that you have shared with us through post. Keep doing the great work up.
Plumbing issues are inevitable and they are caused by lack of mishandling and foresight. The plumbing mistakes mentioned in this article are actually what cause wear and tear in the equipment’s. Thanks for sharing this information article; it is going to help everyone to avoid the plumbing mistakes.