Hamilton Plumber: Plumbing Tips for Baths

Unloading a toilet may seem very simple, but the system that achieves it represents hundreds of years of the best efforts of human mechanical engineering. Each of the three components comprising a bathroom plumbing system – water supply, drainage and ventilation – play an extremely important role in ensuring a safe and reliable bathroom plumbing system by hamilton plumber.

Water is supplied to all appliances via a subline connected to the main water supply. Hot water (for taps, bath, shower) is supplied from a separate subline connected to the water heater.

In bathroom plumbing, the drainage system works with gravity. The waste water from each appliance moves into the trap, a P-shaped pipe that retains the water. (The water prevents toxic and flammable sewer gases from entering the house.)

Water waste comes from the trap to a vertical drain (inside the wall) and through a system of progressively larger drain pipes until it reaches the main sewer line.

The vertical drain pipe is also connected to ventilation pipes that are connected to the roof vent. The ventilation system prevents suction from slowing or stopping the drain

Problem: It does not drain water into the bathroom sink.

Cause: In bathroom plumbing, this blockage is usually the result of hair, soap, grease, and other objects.

Solution by Plumbers Near Me

  • Place a 5-gallon bucket under the trap. Loosen the two nuts on the trap; remove the trap and drain.
  • Inspect for objects; remove any debris with a small brush.
  • For clogging down the drainage system, Martin Gonzales, owner of Marvy Remodeling, a Chicago general area contractor, likes to use sink machines, known as snakes or electric unlockers.
  • They have a 5/16-inch cable (ideal for residential applications), a gun handle and a trigger like an electric drill, and a motor that makes the cable run down the drain. Unlike similar hand tools, “the cable goes in very easily,”.
  • Remove the cable and check for foreign objects.
  • Before reconnecting the trap, inspect the washers on the sliding nuts and replace them if they are worn.

Problem: Water returns to the bathtub when the washing machine is used.

Cause: In many homes, the clothes washer and bathtub share a common horizontal drain that will lead to the same vertical. Wool, hair and soap from the washer block the vertical pipe and this results in jams in the bathroom plumbing.

Solution

  • For this problem, Gonzales also uses a snake. But in this case, slide the cable through the spill drain.
  • To find the vertical drop, bend the tip of the snake cable at a 15-degree angle, advises Chuck Stephens, director of services and training at Ridgid Tool Co.
  • After passing the snake, let hot water run so it can take away any dirt.

Problem: Leaks in copper plumbing plumbing for bathrooms provided by Hamilton Plumbing Supply

Cause: Corrosion is the most common cause of leaks.

Solution

  • When it comes to repairing leaks, Gonzales likes to use the new coupler device on the market. For example, plumbing tools such as Cash Acme’s SharkBite pressure jointing system eliminates the need for flux and welding.
  • Cut the pipe directly at the drip point.
  • Drain the water.
  • Separate the pipes and insert a snap coupling over both ends of the pipe. Use a pressure tool to join the two pipes.

Problem: Tap leaks

Cause: In bathroom plumbing, faucet leaks are often caused by worn sneakers or seals. Repair techniques vary depending on the type of faucet: ball faucet, cartridge faucet, compression faucet (the most common bathroom faucet) or disc faucet. “Most of the time, all you need to do is change the washers,” Gonzalez says.

Solution (for a compression tap)

  • Determine which water source is leaking.
  • Turn off the water supply.
  • Remove the cap.
  • Unscrew handle.
  • Remove handle.
  • Use pliers to unscrew stem.
  • Remove the screw at the base of the stem.
  • Unscrew the retaining screw.
  • Install the new “O” ring, washer and stem screw.
  • Reassemble.

Problem: Water Leaking Toilet

Cause: Toilet handle sticks, bowl sticks or hits tank wall, bowl leaking, incorrect chain size.

Solution

  • If the handle sticks, loosen the mounting screw and remove any build-up with a metal brush.
  • Adjust the chain to hang directly down; replace if necessary.
  • Inspect the bowl. Remove the ball and shake it. If there is water in it, it is leaking. Replace it with a new one.
  • But most of the time, says Gonzalez, the culprit of a leaking toilet is a defective float.

Decades ago, copper pipe replaced galvanized pipe as the standard in residential construction. Now cross-linked polyethylene pipe (known as PEX) is replacing copper. PEX pipe offers several advantages over copper pipe.

To begin with, unlike copper, they do not corrode. It is also flexible, which makes it easy to accommodate structural elements and pass them through narrow walls or spaces.

In addition, it allows “plumbing from home” which means that a central plumbing manifold is used to bring parallel supplies of hot and cold water to each device, providing consistent water pressure to each device.