Four Common Pipe Problems

The primary issues surrounding any residential or commercial plumbing system have always something to do with pipes. Pipes are where our water and gas utilities take course and through our piping system, we use our utilities for our various purposes. Like every other fixtures in your property, pipes can develop damages over time due to old age, environmental factors, misuse or lack of maintenance. What are the various pipe problems that you can encounter?

Blocked Pipes

Blocked pipes are common pipe problems inside the bathroom. What’s annoying with blocked pipes is that it causes greywater to drain very slowly down the floor drain or sink and even do not drain at all. In the bathrooms, the drains usually get clogged by hair, shampoo and other bathing products which should not be disposed along with the greywater in the first place. In the kitchen, the sink is clogged probably because you dispose food scraps and grease down the drain.

Pipes become clogged when debris and grease accumulate inside the pipe. Even roots of overgrown plants can get inside the piping system as roots go down deeper to look for moisture and water sources. Moreover, even certain vegetation, like moss, can develop inside the water pipes, thus minimising the performance of your piping system.

To clear blocked pipes, you should contact a reliable plumber to unclog them out for you. This could even involve taking out your pipes, cleaning them out or replace them with better one.

Leaking Pipes

A most common pipe problem, leaking pipes cause many plumbing and property problems. For one, a leaking piping system provides moisture for pests (including rodents and cockroaches), thus encouraging pest infestation in your property. And if pest infestation is not enough, you will have to wonder why your water consumption bill was high last month? Are not you thinking about the leaks?

 Aside from pest infestation and high water costs, leaking pipes can also endanger the stability and integrity of your property, like flooding the basement, rotting wooden structure, corroding metals, etc. A small leak can indeed turn into a big nightmare, especially if your gas heating equipment’s pipelines leak.

Corroded Pipes

If your water pipes are made out of copper, lead, steel or iron, there is a greater chance that your pipes will corrode overtime. Actually, external pipe corrosion (due to corrosive soil) is the main cause of leaking pipes. On the other hand, internal pipe corrosion (due to corrosive water) is the cause of highly acidic, non-potable and foul-smelling water. Bacteria easily reside in corroded pipes.

Burst Pipes

Many homeowners leave for vacation to evade the cold, and when they come back, they are surprised to encounter a flooded home and bursting pipes. Why is this so? When water freezes, it expands and its expansive puts extreme pressure on the pipe may it be metal or PVC. No matter how strong the material your pipes may be, the expanding water can cause them to burst. Pipe freezing is not common in areas with extreme cold, and it always occurs especially if the pipes are not properly insulated and are long exposed to the freezing temperature.

These common pipes problems should not be ignored for a long time. For the protection of your property and complete peace of mind, make sure your reliable plumber Bayswater visits regular to check the conditions of your pipes and the whole plumbing system.

Want a check-up or servicing of your pipes? Please contact Leading Plumbing today for professional piping services at the most competitive rates. We will send an expert plumber Bayswater right away to answer your piping needs. Please visit our website for more details. 

Repairing Your Toilet

Your toilet is one very important fixture in your house, as it is the only thing you can use to collect and dump your body waste. To make sure that it is running properly, you need to make sure that you clean it regularly, take care not to flush garbage other than your waste, and check it regularly for any presence of leaks, damages or broken parts. However, wear and tear cannot be avoided, and in one way or another, you may find that your toilet is clogged, leaking, or is running continuously at inconvenient times of the day. Here are some of the most commonly encountered toilet problems and how you can fix them before finally calling a plumber kew to come to your house for repairs.

Clogged Toilet

A clogged toilet is a very common unfortunate incident in your bathroom. Toilets that back up and those that are inadequately flushed are among the most common reasons for clogged toilets, aside from flushing improper waste into them. Make sure to have a toilet plunger on hand all the time, so that you can easily reach out for it when things go wrong. However, if it doesn’t work, you may have to use a plumber’s snake to break down and push the blockage mechanically.

Although the plumber’s snake is fairly affordable and easy to buy, improper use of them may result to damages in your toilet drain pipes. To lessen the incidence of clogs, make sure to dispose garbage in their proper bins, and remind your children and other members of the family not to throw toys and other objects that shouldn’t be flushed. You may also choose to purchase a power flush toilet. 

Leaking Toilet

A leaking toilet is the hardest to detect, since water on your bathroom floor may be due to leaks in incoming water pipes, condensation from your tank, a jarred toilet bowl assembly, or damage in your toilet gasket. You may check your toilet bowl for condensation and presence of leaks in its water connections, but other than that, repairing them may be far too difficult for you to do. For these scenarios, you should call a plumber to solve the problem quickly.

Running Toilet

A running toilet may be the easiest for you to detect and fix permanently, as the damage has occurred only within the toilet tank. Just lift the cover of the tank to inspect the problem. Most likely, the culprit lies on a broken toilet seal which keeps the toilet water valve from allowing the flow of water into the bowl. It may also be possible that the ball cock, flap, or the chain has been damaged. 

Knowing which part of your toilet tank is in disrepair will let you know which part you need to buy at your local hardware store, as well as the extent of repair you need to do. Always remember that before you do any repairs, make sure you turn off the toilet’s water supply first.

Responding to toilet problems right away will save you from having headaches later on, as severe damages can result to costly repairs and replacements. If you encounter a problem in your toilet that you cannot fix, call a plumber kew right away.

Leading Plumbing  offers a complete line of repairs and installation services for all your plumbing needs. Check out our website at link to leading plumbing.com.au right now if you need a plumber in Kew.

Two Considerations in Choosing the Right Home Heating System

Every home needs adequate heating today for health and comfort reasons. Gone are the days of fireplace which you used to lit up when cold evening rushes in and chopped firewood for. In these modern times, you should not deprive your home of a heating option that is much safer than lighting up a fireplace and less time-consuming than chopping wood. Thanks goodness technology provides us various options for heating, whether powered by natural gas, propane gas, solar or electric or ducted or hydronic. With various choices being offer, how can you choose the right heating system for your home?

When choosing the right heating system, you need to be aware that it will become part of your home structure as with your electrical and plumbing systems, and like them, it also produces its own operating costs. However, like anything else in your home, it can malfunction over time if you do not operate it properly. Like furniture too, your equipment needs to go along with the lifestyle of your household. Here are two things you should consider when choosing what heating system would be the right one for your needs:

Choosing the Right Boiler

The boiler will be the most important part of your heating system and this will impact your system’s performance and efficiency. Boilers come in different sizes and specifications. What’s to look in a boiler? The first and most important requirement is its energy efficiency rating. It must convert 90% of energy in to heat and be able to distribute heat evenly.

The second thing to make sure with a boiler is that it should be of the right output size that can supply enough heating for your household. For a small household, a small model would be appropriate, and for a large one, it should be adequately sized to provide bigger heating requirements. Another thing with size is to check if your desired system can fit into the room you have set aside to store your system.

The third is the system. Which do you choose: Combi or system? How do the two differ from each other? The combi type works as sealed systems and provide hot water when needed, heating it directly from the main water supply. On the other hand, the system type is fitted to sealed systems and provides hot water by storing it in a hot water storage cylinder. It does not heat on demand but you get hot water as provided unless the storage runs out of it.

Choosing Your Fuel Options

What fuel options do you have to power your heating system? If you have a fuel source present, can your heating plumber easily connect the fuel utility source with your heating system? Is your fuel source enough for the whole household?

Many heating systems run on natural gas, but if your home does not have access to the mains gas sources, you can choose a system than can run on electricity, solar power, oil and liquefied petroleum gas. Even if your system will be connected to any of this utilities, it can still run efficiently and does not waste energy, provided your heating equipment is well-maintained and regularly serviced to prevent leaks and other malfunctions.

The right heating system will be able to provide maximum comfort and big savings on energy. Many heating models can be installed when your house is undergoing construction or be customised to existing ones. To make the most out of your heating system, make sure it is installed, maintained and serviced regularly by the right plumber Kew.

Do you need a heating equipment at home? LeadingPlumbing Solutions can provide you advice to help you choose the right home heating option that is both energy-efficient and eco-friendly. Please contact us today and we will send over our best heating plumber Kew to help you out. Please also visit our website for more details.

Tips In Getting The Right Plumbing Hardware

Building a new home in Kew, Victoria? Or perhaps remodeling your bathroom or kitchen to make it look better? There will be a lot of things to consider about plumbing hardware and ensure everything goes to par with your preferences. Although the bathroom is typically the least decorated part of the house and sometime the least thought-about part of the house too, it would be refreshing to make it more appealing since you do visit it every day. So before you install that hardware plumbing Kew stores offer, reevaluate your decisions with the help of some simple and helpful guidelines below. This will ensure you will be satisfied with how your bathroom looks to avoid another renovation in the future.

Guide To Getting It Right

 

There are only a few things to keep in mind when you are selecting for plumbing hardware for your bathroom and kitchen. You only need to think of durability and something stylish enough that it will complement the interior design and concept of your home. However, you need to prioritize durability and ensure longevity since frequent renovations can be very costly and damaging to the house's structure. You don't want rusted plumbing hardware within a few years or cracked sink basins for that matter. Follow the selection guide below for each type of plumbing hardware and enjoy long years of service from your bathroom and kitchen plumbing.

Toilets

There are a lot of options when it comes to toilets. You can opt for conventional ones with manual flush or the really modern ones with a more advanced mechanism. There are a lot of stylish designs of toilets nowadays but want you need to ensure is comfort. You don't need a really fancy one that is not comfortable to sit on. Then aside from comfort, you also want to get something that is efficient in flushing waste. There are toilets with dual flushing capabilities nowadays which give you the option to use a flush feature for solid waste and for liquid waste. Such features will help you save on water bills.

Bathtubs

There are a lot of bathtub options nowadays, have a wider selection compared to toilets. If you are looking for bathtub plumbing Kew suppliers and stores have, consider first the flooring of your bathroom. Enamel cast-iron bathtubs are proven durable but tend to be limited to a particular design. If you want something more stylish, you can opt for molded plastic or fiberglass tubs.

Sinks

Sinks come in different sizes and materials. Just ensure it is stainless if you want to opt for something made of metal. Also something thick enough that cannot be easily warped or dented. As for bath vanities, ceramic sinks are usually the best to go with.

Faucets, Pipes and Related Plumbing Hardware

Pipes have little changes over the year, just ensure you get the right size and install it right. As for faucets and related plumbing hardware, just ensure it is stainless and rustproof. There are also a lot of mechanisms for faucets nowadays too. Hence, the design should tell you if it's for a bathroom sink or for a kitchen sink. Ask experts at plumbing Kew stores about how the faucet works first before going with it. There are the conventional faucets, those that you need to twist, press and those sensor activated faucets. Knowing how it works would mean a lot, some would be advantageous to certain individuals like kids or a disabled person.

These are simple guidelines you can follow to ensure you select the right plumbing hardware for your house. Doing so will save you money in the future for repairs, replacements or renovations.

Checking out plumber Kew stores for your latest bathroom or kitchen renovation? Get helpful tips and insights in getting the right plumbing hardware right here!

Four Tips to Clean Your Toilet Cistern

At times you could be curious to look into your toilet cistern (tank or closet, whatever term you prefer) and be amazed at its mechanisms of holding water and releasing it to flush the toilet bowl after you fulfil your necessities. If you are concerned about cleanliness, you should be thinking if the interior of your cistern is clean enough to hold water as this will flush and go through your toilet bowl. If you clean the toilet bowl regularly, don’t forget to clean the cistern too. Why should you clean it and how?

The cistern is just another place in your house where certain bacteria could thrive. Bacteria can live in dark cisterns especially if the water used for flushing is hard water. They will feed on the minerals and iron. Along with the other dirt and grime, bacteria can cause odours, discolour the water and corrode the cistern parts. It is not enough to put in tablet cleaners to clean it, but you have to clean it by hands (but don’t forget your cleaning gloves so you won’t touch those slimy blobs and your skin won’t get in contact with things dirty and grungy).

1. Drain before you clean – You cannot clean a full tank right away. First you have to shut off the water by turning the valve at the bottom of the bowl and then flush to drain water from the cistern. That way you do not have to dip your hands into a full tank.
2. Remove bacteria, dirt and grime – You might then start cleaning with a couple of brushing. Get your toilet brush or any brush you can use to clean the inside of your cistern and some cleaners too. You can buy a toilet cleaner from your nearby store or make one out of lime and baking soda. Don’t forget to wear your cleaning gloves.

Brush thoroughly the corners, the walls and the crevices to remove the dirt, grime, odour and bacteria properly. Brushing also helps remove the moulds and mildews that make the cistern look yucky.

3. Remove mineral deposits – Hard water has in it certain dissolved mineral deposits including lime, calcium and magnesium. If you will not remove them, they will form inside your cistern which is not good to look at. To remove them, pour out plain white vinegar in a spray bottle and spray thoroughly over the mineral deposits and let it sit for a few hours if the mineral build-up is not heavy.  After that, take up your brush, scrub and flush.
4. Disinfect – The toilet bowl, sink and tiles are not the only ones that need disinfecting in the bathroom, but the cistern too. Get your chlorine bleach or any other disinfectant, apply them thoroughly and let it sit for a half hour. Then you can use the toilet again.

Do you want to hire an expert plumber Kew to replace your toilet fixtures? Please contact Leading Plumbing Solutions today and we will send over one of our professional plumbers to service you.