A house will have a number of utilities working day and night to make the home comfortable, from electricity to natural gas to the plumbing. Professionals can be called into repair or look over these utilities when they are malfunctioning, and this certainly includes plumbers. Plumbing services can be found in nearly any city or town to fix a homeowner’s pipes and utilities alike. Clogged drains, burst pipes, old toilets, and more can be handled with ease when plumbers arrive. In fact, “plumber” originates from the Latin word for lead, in a time when plumbing was made with lead (which is also why lead’s atomic symbol is Pb). The concept of plumbing is older than some may realize; the ancient Romans and the mysterious Harappan civilization of northern India used it, among others. But today, modern low-flow toilets and faucets are more water-efficient than ever, especially given how strained some natural water sources have become.
Issues With Plumbing
Today’s plumbing and sewage disposal utilities are far more advanced than anything found in the Roman Empire, but something might still go wrong. Clogs are one example. Some homeowners opt to pour their grease and fat down the kitchen drain after cooking, but this is a bad idea. Such materials don’t always flow right through the plumbing; rather, they stick to the sewage pipes’ walls, and they can build up rapidly. This accumulated fat and oil can harden into a plaster-like material, and this can create serious clogs or stoppages that a homeowner will not appreciate. A similar problem might occur if improper materials are flushed down a toilet, such as baby diapers, cigarette butts, chewing tobacco, and moisturized hand wipes. These materials do not break down in the sewage system like toilet paper will, and they can create clogs that back up the entire system.
Mechanical problems might present themselves as well. Toilets may malfunction, and this may be common among older toilets that are wearing out. Pipes in the walls or in the floor might spring a leak, rust, or even rupture, and leaking water is a serious problem. Water can drip or spray onto basement floors and collect into pools, and this standing water may foster mold growth and also damage items being stored in that basement. Leaking pipes in the walls can short out electrical components or even damage the drywall, which leads to more repairs. On top of that, a lot of water is wasted in the United States every year due to millions of homes leaking water. In a typical family of four, each person uses 70 gallons of water per day, but some homes are leaking. Nearly 10% of all American homes are leaking water and may waste 90 gallons of water per day, each. This can add up to a staggering one trillion gallons of water wasted every year. What can be done?
Hire a Plumber
A homeowner can take care of simple plumbing repair on their own, such as a faucet leak. But most repair jobs for the plumbing call for professional help, and a homeowner can search their local area for plumbing crews. Plumber contractors may even have their own websites, and a homeowner can browse their options until they find a crew they want to hire.
Plumbers can take care of clogs and stoppages, for one thing. They can dig up the sewage pipes to access them, then break them open and remove the clog to restore water flow. Damaged sewer pipes can also be replaced if they are leaking; leaking sewage has certainly happened before. These contractors can also repair leaks and other damage to pipes, and they might even replace rusted or cracked pipes entirely. On top of that, plumbers can replace old toilets, bath tubs, and sinks with modern, low-flow models that save water. Many American homes now have low-flow toilets, shower heads, sinks, and more that collectively save a lot of water over time. Plumbers may install a worn out water heater, and they can also install a sump pump down in the basement. Basements that flood can be drained when a sump pump draws up all the loose water and disposes of it outside the home, and this is a good idea for homes in flood-prone areas.