Common Questions a Plumber is Asked
Some of the most frequent questions I get asked as a plumber are listed below.
We hope this will help some of the readers of this page.
Where is that smell coming from in our bathroom?
Water is held in place by gravity to act as a barrier, preventing the escape of sewer gases. If a plumbing fixture is not used over a month or so, the water in the trap will evaporate, allowing odors to enter the living space from the sewer or septic system.
Most of the time a sewer smell coming from a bathroom is in that big jet tub that is never used. Most houses that we are building today will have a big drop in tub (whirlpool) and most people will use it once or twice and never again. When a tub is never used the trap under the tub will go dry and this will allow sewer gas to come back up the line. If you will run the faucet for just a minuet once a month it will stop this from ever happening.
This can also come from the toilet. This problem is a little more trouble to repair. The wax ring could have gone bad or most of the time it comes from a remodel.
To save time and money a “plumber” will not rise the flange when a bathroom floor is tiled. This will prevent a good seal between the toilet and floor. The trap for your toilet is in the toilet and not in the plumbing system like every other plumbing fixture. The plumbers at Fix It All-Plumbing would be happy to repair this problem for you.
I have put in new washers but my faucet keeps leaking, why?
This could have a couple of answers:
First would be your seats. This is normally on older faucets. You have a seat and a washer if the washer is only changed and the seat is cracked the faucet will start to leak again really quickly.
The most common problem is your water pressure. Water Pressure is measured in PSI (Pounds per Square Inch), your household PSI should be at a max of #80. The city pressure could be as high as #150, this is because the city has to be high enough for the last house on the big hill to have good water pressure. This is why it is the home owner’s responsibility. If your pressure is high only one thing can be done to repair this problem. A P.R.V. (pressure reducing valve) will have to be installed. This is not very hard or costly but should usually be done by a licensed plumber. It should also be changed out every six to eight years. I always say “the first day you put in a P.R.V. is the best day for a P.R.V.” The plumbers at Fix It All-Plumber can make this repair for you and your home. This will help your faucets and plumbing system.
Our toilet will only flush part of the time…why?
Most of the time this is a blockage that will float it the toilet. Sometime it is out of the way, and other times it will float in the way. Sometimes the toilet will have to be pulled to remove the blockage, other times a plumber can get it out with an auger. Most of the time this will take a professional plumber, because it’s a matter of feel, doing it many times you will know how to move the auger to remove the blockage. Fix It All-Plumbing would always be happy to help you with this or any of your plumbing problems.
This is a page that I will always add too so come back often to see if your plumbing problem is listed or give us a call at 615-568-5051 to see if we can help you in any way.
Blog by Kevin Sipes (Master Plumber)
Nashville, TN