Top Tips for When You’re Plumbing Nightmares Come True

It will always happen when you least want it to… you might be at work and come back home to find your house flooded, or you might come in from the snow and turn on the heating only to discover some of your pipes have burst, or you might be in the shower after that sweaty run only to have the misfortune of a leaky pipe.

Plumbing nightmares can come true at any time, and they almost always creep up on you suddenly and without warning.

Knowing what to do when a plumbing nightmare strikes will help minimize damage and ease your frustration. If you know the basics, then the problems won’t shock or out smart you anymore – like when someone taps you on the shoulder these days, you always know to look to the other shoulder first.

Locating the Main Water Supply

In almost any plumbing emergency, you will need to shut off the water supply. It won't always be necessary to turn off the main valve, but knowing its location is crucial.

So, when you first move to a new house, it is important that you locate the house’s main water valve. The shut off valve is usually located near the water meter or near an exterior access point of the home's crawl space.

Please know that once water is turned back on you will get some bursts of air… that is completely normal, so don’t let the short blasts alarm you. That said, it still startles me every time, even though I know what is about to happen! Once the air blasts have stopped, you can turn the water off. 

Attending to Drips and Leaks

A dripping faucet should be repaired as soon as possible, as even the smallest of drips can add significantly to the figure you see on your water bill! The water supply to the sink or tub should be turned off as soon as the leak is noticed, regardless of whether you call a plumber or plan to repair the faucet yourself. This is especially important in the case of hot water, as you will read about shortly.

A sink's shut off valve is located under the vanity or cabinet. The shut off valve for a bathtub, may be located behind an access panel on the wall behind the tub's faucet. Though you may think that you only need to locate the hot or cold water supply valve, depending on which is leaking, you will actually need to turn off both valves before replacing the faucet.

Shutting off the Electricity Supply to the Water Heater

If hot water is leaking from supply line or a faucet, the first step will be to shut off the main water supply. If the hot water is leaking, the hot water tank will drain. In a case like this, it is vital that you shut off the breaker that supplies electricity to the hot water heater. The heating element will burn out and need to be replaced if the hot water heater is allowed to run dry while still operating.

This would otherwise be an expensive repair job and can be easily prevented by simply shutting off the electricity at the first sign of hot water leakage.

Preventing Toilet Overflow

A clogged and overflowing toilet will likely be the most common plumbing problem that a household experiences, especially if there are more than a couple of people sharing any given toilet on a regular basis. All family members should know that preventing a complete overflow is possible if you watch out, and catch it in time.

If the toilet's water level appears to be approaching overflow, turn on the cold water in the nearby sink or bathtub. This can be enough to prevent an overflow, as it slows down the overall water flow.

Located on the water supply line close to the floor behind the toilet, the water shut off should also be turned off by turning clockwise. With the water supply turned off, a person can work on unclogging the toilet without worrying about water (and any other nasties) flooding the floor.

How to Flush Away the Problem Flushing

When the water in the tank of a toilet is constantly running or if the toilet is flushing occasionally on its own, then that’s usually the sign of a failing flush mechanism. To stop water being wasted, turn off the water supply using the valve located behind the toilet, as you would with an overflow problem. Once you have taken off the tank lid, you can usually tell if the entire flush mechanism needs to be replaced, or if it may simply need adjusting. However, if you are uncertain then call a plumber.

Remedying a Clogged Toilet

A flange plunger is the necessary tool required to unclog your clogged toilet. This plunger has a deep upside down bowl, is usually black in colour and has a rim two to three inches in height at its bottom. The plunger should be inserted into the toilet opening to create a snug seal. Pumping the plunger quickly several times builds up a vacuum suction, and then the entire plunger should be pulled up sharply. This usually works to pull the blockage out of the drain trap.

Remedying a Clogged Sink

A clogged sink needs a standard cup-style plunger to solve the problem. If you are unsure of what these look like, a standard cup-style plunger is often dark red in colour and has a flat, wide rim. Cup plungers can come in a variety of sizes. The smaller types are best suited for sinks, and the larger sizes work best if you have a problem with your bath or shower.

Similarly to unblocking a toilet, it is important to place the plunger over the drain and pump several times in order to create a vacuum. The suction should loosen the clogged matter and allow it to flow freely down the drain. Some clogs, especially hair, will be sucked out of the drain.

What to do with Washing Machines

You will need to shut off one or both (safer to do both) of the water supply valves on the hoses behind the washer, if a washing machine malfunctions and continues running water when it not supposed to. These valves are often visible, but occasionally they may be found behind an access panel in the wall. As with all of the water problems encountered thus far, it is important to turn off both the source of water flowing to the issue and also any electricity currents. In the case of a washing machine, you should turn off the washer and shut off the circuit breaker to prevent any electricity from reaching the machine.

F-f-f-fixing Those Frozen Pipes

Frozen pipes can continue to cause stress and panic for anyone, regardless of if you have just moved away from parents to your own home, or if you are an experienced homeowner having lived in the same house for a number of years. Frozen pipes is probably the most problematic of issues discussed thus far, as you are not only without water, but you also run the risk of burst pipes and the related water damage that will ensue if this is not dealt with. With tentative care, a hair dryer or space heater can be used to thaw frozen water pipes. As with any electrical device emitting that much heat, it is important that no heater be left unattended, as it may cause a fire. To gradually thaw the pipes and ensure no long lasting damage, it would be best to use your heating device for only ten to fifteen minutes at a time. It is also vital that nearby faucets should be left open to allow thawed water to escape.

Don’t Get Caught Out

Have your plumber's number handy! No matter what plumbing emergency occurs in a home – if you can deal with it or not – a professional plumber will always be able to offer you advice and / or fix your problems.

Plumbing Tips for Understanding and Installing Thermostatic Radiator Valves

Thermostatic Radiator Valves are more commonly known as TRVs. TRVs individually control the temperature of each radiator, so you can control the temperature in each room by understanding how these work.

So, how do TRVs work and what is the difference between a thermostatic radiator valve and a reuglar valve?

A regular valve (and the odds are that you have one of these if you don’t have a TRV) shuts on and off hot water flow by being turned (like a bath and bath tap).

Thermostatic Radiator Values automatically control the amount of hot water going into the radiator in accordance with the temperature of the room the radiator is already situated within. Pretty clever stuff! TRVs are chameleons of the heating world, changing to suit their environment.

There are two types of TRV you can get, the most popular controlled by a spring, which is susceptable to the temperature around it.

If the room is cold, the metal will contract. Therefore, the valve jumper will open, and hot water will be allowed to flow into the radiator. Equally, if the room is warm, the spring will do the opposite and expand, the valve will be pushed down, and the flow to the radiator will stop.

Can you install TRVs anywhere?

Unfortunately not.

Don’t put a TVR in the same room as the house thermostat. The radiator in the same room as the house thermostat needs to have a lock shied on it that is fully open, so that the house thermostat can always have an accurate reading.

So how do I install one?

Easy!

Make sure the water supply is turned off to the heating system. Allow air into all of the radiators that you want to change over to a TRV. When you use the Stop Cock Key to let out the air, you should hear the air escaping from the radiator.

Remove the old lock shield valve. Knowing that the system is drained, use a wrench to loosen the bolt. Then loosen off the 15mm pressure fitting at the bottom in the same way. Remove the fitting. Both the valve gonig into the radiator and also the valve coming up through the floor should now both be exposed and ready to fit the TRV in the place of your old lock shield valve.

All new TRVs are supplied with a new insert, so the old one that will be attached to the valve going into the radiator itself will need to be removed.

There are special tools called Radiator Spanners that can be used to aid you with this. The type you get will depend on the type of valve you have on your old shield valve.

Inserting the tool into the insert, you will normally need to use a wrench to turn the tool within the insert to loosen it. Continue by removing the old insert.

Now PTFE tape the new insert. Wrap the PTFE tape around the insert 10-12 times and insert into the radiator valve and tighten up using the wrench.

Add some PTFE tape around the valve fitted to the floor too and you are then ready to insert your nrew valve.

Put the new fitting back on and tighten up the bottom fitting first, before proceeding to tighten up the radiator valve fitting. Again, use the wrench to secure these tightly.

Remove the top cap of the new TRV and that will reveal to you the actual valve jumper, which moves up and down.

Now place the TRV fitting on top and you are ready for this chameleon radiator to warm up (or cool down) your room!

What tools do I need to make this happen?

• TRV replacement
• Wrench
• Stop Cock Key (to bleed the radiators)
• Radiator Spanner
• PFTE Tape

Plumbing Tips For How to Unclog a Sink

Normally, any clogging will occur between the sink plug facet and the pipe leading the water out to the sewer. More specifically, this problem will usually be located in the P-trap.

The P-trap is the point in the piping where the water going down from the sink takes a turn upwards and then to the side. Visually, this part of the piping looks somewhat like the letter ‘P’ – thus the name.

The problem usually occurs in this part because it is the point where the water (or anything clogging it) must work against the force of gravity to continue through to the pipe immediately leading to the sewer.

Before attempting to take anything apart, do try to use a plunger and see if this will remedy all of your clogging woes.

If you are unsuccessful... read on...

A lot of times, you can remove the P-trap with a wrench and simply remove the materials clogging the system (or to get to that really expensive item of jewelley you accidentally knocked down the sink plug).

If the P-trap is clear after removing it, then you most likely have a problem with the tail piece of the piping (the bit closest to the exit leading into the wall and down to the sewer) or, more problematically, there may be a problem with a pipe further down on the sewer line.

If the blockage is in the tailpiece, you will need to use a piece of equipment called a Drain Snake. Remove the tailpiece and put the snake into the sewerline to try and dislodge whatever is blocking the Drain Snake. The snake should grab hold of the clogged matter with the teeth-like spines that run all the way along this tool, which will (in theory and practice!) get rid of the problem and re-instating the regular flow of your water system.

What tools do I need to make this happen?

• Drain Snake
• Wrench