When to Call a Plumber to Your Home

One of the worst mistakes you can make as a homeowner is to think that you can or should manage your home's plumbing repairs and maintenance by yourself. Properly installing plumbing pieces and addressing problems like blocked drains and leaks is often more difficult than you might realize, and even a small mistake on your part can mean future plumbing emergencies. Note when it's good to call a plumber to your home for needed repairs and maintenance, and why their services can be so vital.

 Sounds

Residential plumbing should never make noise when it's in use, other than the sound of the toilet tank refilling after every flush. Other sounds typically mean that you need to call a plumber; for example, rattling sounds when you turn on a hot water tap usually mean that there is sediment and solidified hard water crystals in the hot water tank. These crystals can damage the tank and the plumbing pipes as hot water flows through them.

Rattling and banging when you turn on any water tap or flush the toilet usually means that pipes have come loose and are banging the walls and studs. A whistling sound may mean that air is trapped in the pipes, and the sound of running water when no faucets are turned on may signal a water leak. If you notice any of these sounds, don't ignore them or start tearing out walls to replace pipes yourself, but call a plumber, so he or she can pinpoint the reasons for the sounds and make needed repairs.

Changing fixtures

It's not as simple to change a showerhead, faucet, and other such fixtures as you might think. When replacing such a plumbing fixture, you might need to add new washers, plumbing tape and other such items in order to keep the new fixtures secure and watertight. Your new fixture might also create more water pressure than your home's current pipes can handle, so those pipes might need to be upgraded. A plumber will know how to ensure new fixtures are installed properly and securely, to avoid future leaks and even burst pipes.

Persistent clogs

Repeated clogs in your home's plumbing can actually be caused by a damaged pipe with a water leak; water is needed to remove solid materials in a pipe, so water leaks can actually lead to clogs. Adding caustic drain clearing products can cause more damage to the pipe and make the problem worse, so call a plumber if the home has persistent or repeated clogs.