You may receive a boost in confidence every time you walk through the plumbing department on your local home improvement store and watch videos on how to perform your own plumbing repairs and upgrades.
Confidence is a great thing, and home plumbing projects look relatively simple on paper. However, the real test of skill comes when things don't go according to plan, and you can't accomplish your goal, at least not without considerable distress.
Here are a few examples of theoretically simple plumbing tasks which may result in the question, "Where is the closest plumber near me and how fast can they arrive?".
Replacing a Sink Faucet
A prime example of theory vs. practice, changing a sink faucet seems simple. Turn off the supply valves, disconnect the supply lines and the center securing bar (if applicable) of the old faucet, then apply some plumber's putty to the new faucet and reverse the connection process.
Unfortunately, the design of most sinks places the faucet connections in an extremely narrow area between the back of the sink and the wall. Add to this lack of accessibility the probability of rusting on the connections of the old faucet.
This produces the unpleasant experience of lying on your back under the sink (with your lower spine bent over the edge of a sink cabinet if your sink is installed within a cabinet base), attempting to balance a flashlight into a narrow crevice into which you must insert a wrench to loosen rusted supply line connections and a small center securing nut.
As rust flakes away and cascades softly into your eyes while the wrench repeated slips and your knuckles start to bleed, you may then begin to reconsider the wisdom of your DIY enthusiasm and call a local plumber.
Clearing a Stopped or Slow Bathroom Drain
Bathroom drains become clogged with hair, soap, toothpaste, and various foreign bodies that may tumble inside them. If a plunger doesn't solve the problem, many homeowners resort to caustic chemicals that eat away at clogging agents as well as the drain pipes, so they should be avoided.
Manual clearing of bathroom drains begins with the search for hairballs. This can be done by inserting a hairball removal tool, which resembles a zip-tie with staggered hooks along its length, into the offending drain.
If you snare a hairball, you may not be able to remove it without surgery, because of an accumulation of hair, soap, and other debris that increases its girth to a point that it will not pass between the spokes of the drain cup.
You will need to pull on the hairball removal tool while you cut it down to size with scissors until it can be removed. This involves removing pieces of a slimy and smelly ball of filth by hand because you can't let them drop into the drain.
Another experience that may lead you to decide to go with a pro next time. Contact a company like Moon Valley Plumbing for more information and assistance.
Share6 December 2017
Hello, my name is Yvonne Michaels. Welcome to my website about plumbing components. Plumbing systems of all kinds use interconnected components to bring fresh water in and waste water out of the building. By clearly understanding the plumbing components used in your commercial or residential building, you can ensure your systems remain in great operational condition for years to come. On this site, I will help you learn all about plumbing components for every system imaginable. I hope to inspire you to learn about these components and understand how they operate to keep your plumbing system in great shape. Thanks for coming by.
