Tag
Drainage
12 articles
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.…
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…
ArticleInstalling an under-sink RO water purifier: connecting the feed valve, the drain line and a dedicated faucet, and flushing the filters correctly"Could you come and install the RO purifier I just bought, under the kitchen sink?" It sounds simple, but many jobs end in a call-back because a push-fit connector weeps and floods…
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…
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…
ArticleKitchen sink blocked or draining slowly because of grease: 7 steps to clear a kitchen drain and how to install an under-sink grease trap“My kitchen sink has been draining slowly all week, and now one whole bowl is full of standing water and smells sour.” “When I drain this bowl, water bubbles up in the other one.”…
ArticleInstalling a washing machine correctly: supply valve, overflow- and odour-proof drain hose, levelling the machine and a leak-free test run"The machine is brand new, and a week after it was installed water spilled onto the floor, the bathroom smells of sewage, and when it spins it shakes and walks out of place." Plumb…
ArticleBlocked toilet, water rising when flushed: 7 steps to clear it, from plunger to toilet auger, without breaking anything“When I flush my toilet, the water rises almost to the rim and drains very slowly.” “My child dropped a toy into the toilet and now it won't flush.” A blocked toilet is an urgent c…
ArticleFull septic tank: warning signs, opening the lid safely for inspection, telling it apart from a blocked pipe, and when it needs pumping"For the past few days the toilet has been draining slowly and gurgling, and the back yard stinks." Many young plumbers immediately bring a plunger to unblock the toilet, and two d…
ArticleHow to Fix a Leaking Sink Drain: Finding the Drip, Re-Sealing Traps, Strainers and Pop-Up Wastes, and Leak TestingA wet cabinet floor under a basin or kitchen sink is one of the most common call-outs for a residential plumber. "The sink is leaking" can mean four different things: a supply conn…
ArticleDrain pipe slope and how to stop bathroom odoursBathroom odours and slow drainage are the two most common complaints a plumber receives. Most of the causes lie in how the drainage was installed: the wrong slope, missing traps, n…