Faucets in your house will not cease to function properly at a very frequent pace, but when a faucet packs it in it can cause quite a mess in your home. The most important part of preventing a really bad faucet accident that can cause considerable damage to a house is proper faucet maintenance. In other words, make sure that you take care of the problem as soon as you see kitchen faucets start to drip, instead of waiting to see how much water damage your kitchen cabinet can take! Most indoor plumbing problems are easy to remedy, even for the novice handyperson. There are some common leak problems within homes, and this article will help you decide how to deal with them.
The first common problem is leaky pipe joints within the kitchen. In the average house, the kitchen sees as much water flowing through it in a given day than any of the bathrooms. It is not surprising, then, that joints will spring leaks as time passes. In order to repair leaks, first locate the valve that controls the water output in the sink. Once you have located it, shut the water off. Next, remove the joint that is leaking and hold it up to the light. You should see light filtering through any holes or cracks in the line, and these need to be replaced. This can be done with plumber's tape, but make sure to wrap it tightly around the damaged portions. Once this is done, replace the joints and turn the water back on. If there is still a leak, you might have to repeat the process and check other areas, such as the fittings.
Another common problem area, especially in colder climates, is that pipes may freeze. This problem can be pretty annoying, as home owners will not always know which pipe it is that is frozen and is causing the problem. First, turn on all the faucets in your house. The ones that are not putting out water are the ones where the frozen pipe is attached. Shut off the faucets that are producing water and leave the other valves open. Now you will have to turn off the valve that brings water into the house.
There are several ways to thaw a pipe once you have located the frozen one. Determine the material the pipes are made of; a blow dryer or a heat gun can be used to thaw them out, but too much heat on a plastic line might melt it. If the ice plug formed due to a hole or crack in the pipe, you will want to repair it before your job is complete. In order to prevent more frozen pipes in the future you should consider wrapping them with insulation or heat tape, or building a heated space for the pipes to run through.
