Plumbing Emergency - Having Prepared Prematurely
Plumbing Emergency - Having Prepared Prematurely
Blog Article
My air conditioner is only a year old and it's leaking water badly. It's a window mounted air conditioner and I'm afraid the leaking water is going to cause damage to my exterior walls. Do you guys have any ideas or tips?
A fixture refers to anything in a home that has water flowing to it. A toilet, a sink, a hot water tank, a dishwasher, a bathtub; these are all examples of plumbing fixtures. Plumbers know the importance of keeping our fixtures operating like they should. Blockages, clogs, back flow issues and drainage are all things that a water heater at fixing on a daily basis. Water not moving around as it should poses problems in all areas of a home. Having an issue with water leaving your home can be disastrous as water finds its own level and will back up and possibly spill out, causing a major mess and potentially a lot of damage. Water not going into your home properly causes problems within the pipes and then in turn within the appliances and fixtures that use that water to operate.
Water leak detectors are alarms that alert you of leaks. They do not stop the water leak from happening. They also do not stop the leak after it happens or turn off the water line repair valve. You will still need to turn off the water valve yourself and contact a Utah plumber to come check out the plumbing issue.
After you have the stems out you should be able to find the washer on the "inside" end. If it is nicked, torn or brittle it is likely the cause of your drip. Even if it looks brand new, go ahead and replace it. You've already come this far. You can get replacement washers at almost any hardware store. Sometimes you may want to replace the whole stem, especially if the handle end is stripped out. It's best to just take the stem with you to the store and see if you can match it up. Most Do It Yourself stores have replacement stems for many popular brands. If your valve has a center diverter valve to switch the waterfrom the tub spout to the shower head the same process applies. Many times it is easier to replace the diverter stem than to repair it. This really depends on the design of the stem.
A plumber becomes a journeyman once they complete their apprenticeship program and they can apply to be licensed. Most of the plumbers today are in the field of journeyman. To get a license to be a journeyman, you need to pass an exam and pay a licensing fee.
Here are some general cautions. Do not begin jobs on holidays, weekends, or at times when plumbers raise their rates or are difficult to reach. Do start early leaving plenty of daylight to call a plumber if something goes wrong. Study the situation carefully. Think about what might happen if something suddenly broke and what the effects would be. Old corroded copper tubing might break in the wall when you are wrenching an angle stop that supplies the water line repair to your toilet. A flood in the wall could be costly. If the angle stop, on the other hand, is new and shuts off easily and you have another toilet in the house then it might make sense to repair the toilet yourself. Be honest, too. Are you handy with tools? Did you do well in shop classes in school?
When doing the install on a water heater, keep an eye out for unconnected pipes. A commonly missed pipe is the one that leads out from the area for drainage. It is probably a recirculation pipe; that helps your water remain heated without wasting too much water.
Plumbers can help keep small problems from becoming large problems. Do your homework before choosing a plumber and you can help to ensure that the job is done correctly and for a good competitive price.