Tag
Plumbing repair
31 articles
ArticleWater pump not pumping water: hums but won't start, what to checkWhen a water pump hums but will not start (the shaft stays still), the cause is almost always one of four things: a failed capacitor (the most common), a seized shaft or impeller f…
ArticleHow to Install an Outdoor Garden Tap (Wall Faucet): Choosing the Tap and Location, Teeing Off the Supply, Fixing the Wall-Plate Elbow, Preventing Hose Backflow and Fixing LeaksA townhouse client wants a tap by the front gate to wash motorbikes and the yard. Another wants one on a balcony for her plants, a third on a rooftop garden beside the water tank.…
ArticleWhy Are My Drains Gurgling? Causes (Partial Blockage, Blocked Vent, Air Admittance Valve, Trap Siphonage, Sewer or Septic Backup) and Step-by-Step FixesA client calls: "Every time the toilet upstairs flushes, the bathroom basin goes glug-glug ." Another says the floor drain bubbles and gurgles whenever the washing machine empties.…
ArticleWhat tools does a residential plumber need? The basic kit for cutting and joining pipe, tightening threads, clearing blockages and testing, and how to use it safelyNew plumbers working with a team often run into this: they arrive at a client’s home to fix a leaking tap, open the tool bag and only then discover there is no PTFE tape, the adjus…
ArticleBlocked roof gutters, box gutters and rainwater downpipes overflowing in heavy rain: inspection, safe clearing on the roof and preventing re-blockageTen minutes into a heavy downpour, water is already spilling over the edge of the gutter and running in streams down the wall; in some houses it even seeps through the plasterboard…
ArticleBlocked bathroom floor drain and standing water: 7 steps to clear the floor drain and waste pipe of hair and soap scum"After a shower the water sits around the floor drain for ten minutes before it goes down, and some days it smells." This is a call plumbers get very often. The most common cause i…
ArticleWater heater leaking, safety valve dripping continuously or no hot water: 7 steps for plumbers to check and fix it safely"Our water heater keeps dripping from the valve at the bottom — is it about to break?" "When I showered this morning, water was running down the wall from the bottom of the heater.…
ArticleToilet that keeps running: 6 causes and how to repair the cistern“Every night we hear the cistern refilling for a while by itself.” “There’s always a trickle of water running down the inside of the toilet bowl.” “Our water bill went up this mont…
ArticleTaps spluttering air and water flowing in bursts because of air in the pipes: finding the cause and bleeding air from water supply pipes correctly"The water came back this morning, but when I open the tap it keeps spluttering, the water spurts out in bursts and splashes everywhere, flowing and stopping." Plumbers often get c…
ArticleBathroom leaking through the ceiling below: 7 steps to pinpoint the source (supply pipes, drain pipes, pipe penetrations, toilet seal, floor waterproofing) and how to fix it"My bathroom ceiling keeps getting yellow stains and dripping, it must be coming from upstairs." The damp patch shows up on the floor below , while the source is on the floor above…
ArticleWeak shower flow: 7 steps to find the cause, from the shower head to the roof tank and the water heater“My shower just drizzles, I can never rinse the soap off.” “The cold water is strong, but as soon as I turn on the hot water it gets really weak.” “On the ground floor the water gu…
ArticleSolvent-welding uPVC pipe correctly: square cuts, chamfering, applying cement, hold time, cure time before pressure testing and fixing leaking joints"I only glued it yesterday and this morning the joint is already weeping." Most of the time the cause is not bad cement but poor technique : an angled cut, no chamfer, a dirty or w…