Burst Pipe Repair

A burst water pipe is one of those annoying household events that happen to all of us at one time or another.When water freezes and changes into ice, it causes an expansion of about 10%.

This creates pressure within the pipe and if this pressure can’t be relieved; if the ice can’t travel down it causes burst. If you're faced with a burst pipe, there are a few ways of repairing it depending on how bad the damage is, and you will do this all by yourself.

Don't be like these guys and wait for your ceiling to fall through because of a burst pipe.

The first thing you should do when you have a burst pipe is to turn off the water to avoid any more damage taking place.

Then you need to locate the source of the leak and gain access to the pipe.

Once you have located the leaking pipe find the water shut-off valve and turn off the water supply.

If you cannot find the shut-off valve for the affected area, then shut off the water supply to the entire house.

For this reason, it is vitally important that anyone living in your house knows exactly where the water shut off valve is located so that they can react should a problem like this arise.

After you have shut off the water supply then you will want to drain the system of the cold water, you can do this by turning on the cold water taps in the house until the water runs dry.

The next thing you can do is turn off your water heater or central heating system and then run all of the warm water taps to drain the system of warm water too.

If it is relatively small, then you can use what's known as slip-on coupling. This is where you use a saw or metal cutter to cut through the pipe and remove the section affected by the hole. Then you slide on and slip-on piping to cover up the damage and ensure that your pipes will work effectively once more.

The slip-on covering should be secured with nuts, so it won't move around and break away once you turn the water back on.If you are dealing with a hole larger than 2 inches, it will be necessary to use a replacement section of pipe to fix the damage.

Cut away the section with the hole in it and then secure compression couplers to the edges of the remaining pipe.

You then insert the ends of the new pipe into the compression couplers, whose job is to secure the new pipe.

Next, make the section watertight by tightening the nuts on the compression, although be careful you don't over-tighten it.

Another option you could try is the push-fit system, which involves replacing the damaged section of pipe with a special, purpose-made repair pipe.

This is probably the easiest way to repair a leak by yourself as you don't have to worry about compression couplings or to get the right sort of pipe - you simply take the specially-made repair section after cutting away the damage and then push on the replacement section.

This should create a watertight seal and prevent any more leaks from taking place.

Take a look at this Quick Leak Repair Putty for small leaks

If you need help to repair burst and leaky pipes visit localplumbernearme.co.uk

Five Common Plumbing Problems And How To Fix It By Yourself

Plumbing problems are one of the most common issues that can happen on UK homeowners.

The good news is you can actually do the repairs by yourself from a slow draining sink to leaky pipes and low water pressure. You can get a drain cleaning kit from a place like B&Q.

To learn about this, check some easy fixes below and save your pocket of hundreds of pounds.

Do-It-Yourself Drain Cleaning Tips

Low water pressure

Low water pressure affects sink faucet and shower head. Check it first by removing the fixtures and examine the aerator. The common cause is the calcium deposits slowly build up. For an easy fix, make sure you carefully remove the aerator and try cleaning it by soaking the faucet or the shower head in a water-vinegar solution. Replace the device if it doesn’t work. After drain cleaning or replacing the device put it back on and turn on the water.

Slow Draining Tub

Another very common plumbing problem is a slow draining tub. However, this one can easily be fixed. A common issue with this is that the tub drain is full of hair. This is the reason why the water slows down as it drains out of the tub.
To clear out the debris in the drain, you can use a pair of needle-nose pliers as it is can easily reach in. In cases wherein your tub has a tub stopper in the drain, you have to remove it first before you get to remove the hair clog.

Leaking Pipes

Leaky pipes are common to houses with an old plumbing system. The elements that can corrode pipes over time are oxygen, chlorine and hydrogen sulfide.
When you saw it, fix it fast by stopping the leak temporary or until you do a full repair. You can put an epoxy clay to the leaking area. Make sure the part is dry. Afterward, you cover it with a rubber and set it for an hour or more. After it has dried, use a water resistant tape for double protection.
In worse situations that would need a pipe replacement, you may call a professional plumber to do it.

Running Toilet

Running toilet is one of the common plumbing problems that most people are familiar of. It can waste gallons of water a day and can cost you an increase in the water bill. Well, fixing it is easy but what you need to do first is to examine what causes the problem.
Flappers are usually the problem. If you examine and see that there is a mineral buildup, clean the flapper by soaking it in a bowl of water-vinegar solution for 30 minutes and scrub it with an old toothbrush.
Other things you can consider to do is to adjust the chain length just right and to adjust the water level to prevent draining of water constantly. Lastly is to test the fill valve by making sure that there is no running water in it. If there is, just adjust the float height as necessary.

Congested Garbage Disposal

A garbage disposal or a waste disposal unit. It is a device underneath that shreds food waste so it can pass through plumbing. However, putting anything that is too hard or too scratchy can cause blockages and congestion to the garbage disposal.
What you can do is to avoid putting items that are large and hard to shred. Moreover, you can also clean it by throwing some ice cubes from pure vinegar or lemon juice or a cleanser. This lets the waste to go down easier because the water pushes it down

Visit Local Plumbers Near Me to help with your emergency drain cleaning.