Despite a well-designed plumbing system, almost inevitably, issues can still arise because of several factors that are bad for its functionality. Thanks to your senses, even when you experience different plumbing situations at home you can have confidence that your ability to see, hear and smell can best guide you to determine whether or not your plumbing is in the best shape possible to handle different types of beating, or if it is about to create havoc in your home.
Learning how and when to use them is very helpful as they can serve as the first line of defence to protect you by warning of dangers in your plumbing, especially the risk of leaking. Here are examples of where your senses can be useful to detect plumbing threats at home.
#1. First Guide: The Sounds
Did you hear rattling sounds that strangely just happened out of the blue? Well, it’s not a ghost! They are more likely because of a plumbing failure than of a supernatural reason. It is common for the piping to make a noise at times, but if your piping weirdly shakes all day long, even if no one is using the plumbing, you have a leaking situation at hand. Tracking where the sound leads may be an easy adventure, but fixing the root cause isn’t. In some cases, these sounds also point to a more serious plumbing issue that you’ll surely want to address right off the bat. Let’s explore the reasons why.
- Loose-fitting:– Water moves at a great rate and volumes can cause a pipe to shake, producing a rattling effect. It might also hit against walls creating loud banging sounds which may over time damage your pipes, resulting in leaks. Just by tracking down with your ears, you might be able to spot the source, subsequently, securing the pipe in its place to make sure there’s little to no movement at all, but if a leak is present, you might want to consider hiring a professional to do the job for you. This is because in case of leakage, fixing it can be a pain, as all the fittings are installed within walls or under concrete.
- High water pressure: Another source of the dreaded squealing water pipe maybe the water pressure regulator in your home. When your water pressure is too high for the system’s capacity, it can leave your pipes to produce a vibrating effect. The vibration not only produces a humming noise but also leaks in your pipe.
- Blocked vent-pipe: If a plumbing vent is clogged, it will block off the air from escaping your plumbing system like it is expected to. When that happens, the air will find the closest exit, which is usually your sink or toilet. As it escapes, it makes not just noise, which is what causes those gurgling sounds but also produces a sewer smell that can be bad for your health
#2. Second Guide: The Sight
Sometimes, a plumbing issue doesn’t get too obvious in the eyes until it has finally caused severe damage. Even if this is the case, your eyes can still save you from a lot of trouble when you’re keen about what you need to watch out for. Here are a few things at home that signals a problem in your plumbing;
- Mould growth – Mould and mildews are the results of leaking in your plumbing. Typically, your home’s structure doesn’t give in right away to water seeping into the foundation, but when leaking goes undetected for so long, it can make your home develop moulds, weaken the foundation and over time lose its structural integrity. When you start seeing moulds in your walls, ceilings or flooring, this is your warning that leaking in your plumbing is present and an expert is required to fix it before it gets out of control and turns the situation into a full-blown job.
- Rodent infestation:– Let’s talk nasty. Yep, there’s nothing nastier than seeing rats, mice and other pests invading your home. While they may seem easy to get rid of with the exterminator’s help, it just proves worthless if you wait to fix a leak. When you start seeing these creatures scurrying around, let your plumbing specialist know right away. Busted drains and sewers left unrepaired can give entry points for these creatures who love to hang around in dark and moist environments. These creatures not only want to share space but they can also bring trouble to your health once they find their way into your home.
- Greener patch in the yard: If you notice a portion in your yard is unusually greener than the rest, be concerned, especially if it is happening where your sewer pipe runs. This problem is caused by a busted sewer line. Since sewage has a natural fertilizer component, leakage from your sewer line will give the grass in your yard extra nutrients that will result in a lush and extra green appearance.
- Standing water: Spotting standing water inside and outside your home may be normal after a heavy storm, but if you notice pooling water even if there was no rain is a leaking problem either in your main sewer line or in one or more of your pipes. Standing water is dangerous because of all the electrical components that exist within and behind the walls of your home. It can cause damage to your electrical system and a possibility for electrocution if sufficient water is present. Depending on how long the water has been cut off from your home, it can cause severe water and structural damage.
#3. Third Guide: The Smell
Sometimes your plumbing smells bad, we didn’t mean to say you didn’t flush your toilet well, but your plumbing just naturally fumes an unpleasant smell sometimes. The common reason why you get to experience this is a sewer breach. It may not appear alarming to you because it happens only rarely and just goes away, but even so, it’s still a good idea to hunt down the source. Unfortunately, there are no easy, reliable DIY fixes for a sewer line breach. You’ll need to call a sewer pipe relining expert right away. Pros can dig into your yard or use trenchless pipe relining repair to replace or restore the busted sewer line before it turns into an even bigger and costly problem. Let’s find out what these sewer breaches are.
- Clogged toilet – The smell of sewage emanating from your home could be the biggest sign of a sewer line breach. For most people tracking down a stinky smell is a bad thing, a nasty thing, especially if it leads you to your overflowing toilet, but it is very helpful in staying ahead of any repairs that may require digging. If you don’t use any of your showers or drains very often, the drain trap could dry out, causing the sewer smell to rise up through the pipe and into your home.
- Clogged drain – If there’s any other nuisance that can happen next to a clogged toilet in your home, it would be dealing with a nose-wrinkling aroma from your drains. Imagine looking down on your sink and all the stuff you toss into your garbage disposal are coming back up as you try to get rid of them. Without regular drain cleaning and maintenance, grease, gunks, and other debris can get stuck in your garbage disposal where bacteria can build up and release an unpleasant stench.
- Tree root intrusion – All kinds of things can impair your sewer line. It doesn’t just start inside your home, but as well as outside. Tree roots could grow through the sewer pipe and produce pressure that forces the line to break down. A broken sewer line is leaking sewage, that’s why it smells. The bad news is, there’s no easy fix for this problem. Only the experts in pipe relining Sydney can restore your pipes back to their brand-new condition.
Plumbing issues can be downright frustrating when you don’t know where to look, track down and what to listen to for clues. This blog may have important content you have been looking for that is helpful, but it will only be worthless if you put off repair to the last minute. Getting your plumbing back up and running boils down not on your ability to determine issues beforehand, but on how prompt you are to resort for help.
If you suspect something is not right in your plumbing, speak with the experts right away. Plumbing companies that offer pipe relining services in Sydney such as pipeline relining, sewer pipe relining, drain pipe relining, and cast iron pipe relining is the best company for you. They can find out issues with your plumbing accurately with their tools and equipment, and prevent it from reaching its point of failure.