The kitchen in most homes sees a lot of activity. Obviously, it is where our meals are prepared as well as the clean up after. It contains many of the big kitchen appliances at home like the fridge, dishwasher, metal stove hood and sometimes even our washer and drier. Naturally, the majority of the plumbing system of the home goes through the kitchen and it is also where a lot of the plumbing issues take place. A lot can go wrong in the kitchen. The most common area leaking or burst pipes. An appliance might malfunction and spread water everywhere. Clogged copper sinks are also a common occurrence. So when these things happen, what can we do? Here are a few ways of solving common kitchen plumbing problems.
- Clogged Drain, being quite a frequent occurrence, there are already a number of ways to deal with a clogged drain. This is partly due to most homes using their drain as garbage disposal. The easiest way to prevent this is by being conscious about what you throw down the drain. If the problem has already occurred, the best thing to do would be to use a pipe snake. For the worst cases, removing the pipe and cleaning it out would be the next best option.
- Leaky Faucets, after clogged drain, leaks on faucets are the next most common kitchen plumbing problem to occur. A leaking faucet is a huge waste of water, not to mention an increase in your water bill. It is imperative, therefore, that this issue should be resolved as soon as possible. Lucky for you, this is an issue that can be done if you are handy enough and familiar with plumbing tools and fixtures. You can check that the faucet is screwed on tight and make sure the seal is intact. If that doesn't resolve it, you can install a new faucet head.
- Burst Pipes, a pipe bursting is common especially in areas that experience winter. This happens because when water freezes it expands. If the pressure is not relieved, the expansion would be too great for the pipe to contain leading to a burst pipe. It is easy to tell that the water in the pipes is frozen when you turn on your faucet and nothing happens. The best thing to do when this happens is to turn off your main water supply and replacing the damaged pipe. You can avoid water freezing in pipes by keeping a trickle of flowing hot water and having a nanny camera nearby to monitor it during night time.
- Garbage Disposal, problems While it is recommended to through food waste down the garbage disposal rather than a normal drain, this could sometimes lead to problems which could render it to stop working. When this happens, never ever put your hand down the garbage disposal. Try a pipe snake to try to dislodge debris from the pipe.
- Dripping Dishwasher, this is all too common for houses with a dishwasher installed. It is especially a frequent issue for those homes with an older model dishwasher. Check the seals to make sure they are still working fine and holding water in. Replace those seals if they are irreparable. Or, you can always get a new dishwasher.
