How Do I Know What Type of Plumbing Service I Need? What kind of household plumbing problems require a plumber? If you have dirty water draining from the bottom of your sink or tub, if you hear strange sounds coming from your toilet cistern, or if you notice any other abnormal symptoms, call an emergency plumber.
In addition to performing regular plumbing maintenance and repairs, a professional can help with clogged drains, burst pipe repair, and drained equipment replacement. Some breakdowns are DIY-friendly, while others should be handled immediately by a professional.
The first step is to identify what’s causing the problem. A drain specialist will not only identify the issue but perform the necessary repairs as well. If there isn’t a major issue with pipes or equipment, such as a clogged drain or wastewater backing up, you can likely fix the problem on your own.
If this is the case, be sure to turn off the water and electricity before performing any work.
If you are new to the idea of hiring a plumber, then this article is for you. You may wonder at some point what type of plumbing service you need. There are many services out there that are designed for different purposes, depending on your needs and budget, so it would help if you knew how to differentiate between them before hiring one.
There are various types of plumbing services available these days, so let’s go over each briefly and see how they differ from one another:
This is exactly as it sounds- using specialized equipment such as rods and such to unclog drains such as those in your kitchen or bathroom. This typically does not cost much as it only requires the labor involved and some equipment.
This is required when the sewer line that runs from your home to the curb is damaged and needs replacement. Replacing this is very expensive as it requires digging trenches and removing old pipelines before installing new ones.
Note that this does not apply to repairing the damage done by tree roots but replacing a damaged section of the pipeline with a new one, which can be quite long depending on where you live (in cities, for example).
Water lines are those found in areas such as your kitchen or bathroom, and they connect the piping running under the flooring all the way up to valves outside your house. If these lines fail, then you will need water line repair services. You can replace the line yourself if you know how to, but this is usually not recommended unless you are experienced in plumbing repairs.
This service determines just where a leak is occurring and then tries to fix it. Of course, since most leaks occur underground, this can be difficult at times, so a good plumber may have some equipment that helps him determine just what’s going on with your pipes before he starts digging around yourself or your yard.
This is used by professional plumbers to determine problems such as blockages within sewers and sewer lines. In order to do this, they use specialized cameras attached to rods which they place through small openings leading into the sewer system. Once inside, they can check for problems and clean the area as needed.
This service involves repairing or replacing your water heater. Replacing a water heater is no easy task as it requires disconnecting the old unit first, installing a new unit of proper capacity, and connecting all necessary components such as valves and pipes again before being able to have working hot water.
Depending on what type of system you have, this may require extensive labor so expect that it will cost quite a bit more than just having your plumber clear out a drain or repair a leaking faucet.
An experienced plumber probably has replacement units available, so he can replace yours right away without having to wait for one to be delivered from a warehouse somewhere else in the city.
This is the most common type of plumbing service- repairing leaks in your home’s piping. If you have a leaky faucet, then this can be repaired by tightening up the connections or replacing the washers inside the valve if it uses them. You may also need to replace some sections of pipe or other components depending on where the leak is occurring.
This type of plumber does just what his title implies- inspects sewers and clears out clogs that are causing problems within your home’s sewer line. He might use special equipment such as rods to do this, or he may simply go through men along sidewalks near your property to clear out the line.
Either way, this service most likely requires a lot of labor, and it can be quite expensive depending on what your plumber finds during his inspection and how much work must be done to unclog the sewer.
This involves repairing or replacing components such as valves and piping underneath your kitchen sink so you can use your faucet again.
Of course, depending on which component is broken will determine how much repairs cost- you might need to replace sections of pipe under your kitchen sink if they are old or corroded or simply tighten up connections if it’s something simple like a loose valve under there.
This refers to clearing blocked drains in sinks, showers, bathtubs, floor drains, and toilets. This can be done by hand or with the help of special tools, depending on where exactly the clog is located. If your drain line has become completely blocked, then you will likely need to have some sections replaced in order for your plumber to unblock it since that requires extensive work.
Plumbing is a complicated business. You can’t just hire any old plumber because there are many different kinds of pipes and all sorts of things that need to be done in the plumbing process.
If you know what type of service you need, though, then it’s much easier to find a company that specializes in that area.
For example, if your water heater has broken down, contact a professional for hot water heaters services instead of contacting someone who does other types of plumbing work like leak detection or drains cleaning. In this way, you will get quality care from an expert and save time by knowing which specialist needs to come over right away!
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