Common Plumbing Problems in your Georgia House.

Over the years, we have bought houses that needed extensive plumbing repairs before the house to be move-in ready. Plumbing is not usually a big problem for us, but when it is, it really is. Here are some of the most common plumbing problems we run into and how we fixed them.

The big culprit

Plumbing has two parts; Supply lines bring in water and return lines (waste water) go to the septic system. Most people have more problems with the waste water part. The most clogs that we see happen is because of people putting the wrong items in the drain, GREASES and OILS.

These fluids are not designed to go down the drain, they need to be put in the trash. Greases and oils don’t just pertain to leftovers from dinner, this includes thick body and hair products as well. This, combined with hair and skin washed off during bathing, will cause a $200 plumbing bill very quickly.

One fix i use my own house are the poppet drains. they seal the drain by pushing the center of the drain,then push again to allow draining. The bad part is that these drain plugs get clogged before anything else. The good part is that these drain plugs get clogged before anything else, AND they pull right out to be cleaned. They are held in by rubber seal. You will know very quickly what is causing your clog problems.

Garbage disposal

When we buy houses in Warner robins Georgia, the first thing that gets taken out is the garbage disposal. Not because we target them, but because they are usually the first item to fail if the house has been empty for more than a month or two. When that happens, we just take out the garbage disposal and re-plumb the sink for a standard drain.

A garbage disposal allows people to grind items to go down the drain that should not go anyway. Fruits, veggies and water-soluble products are ok, but some people try to push left over meats and grease thru their disposal. After that, here comes the plumber again.

The mighty throne

You can’t talk about plumbing problems without including the toilet. The toilet is actually very simple. A flange bracket and wax ring around the base, a flush kit and the toilet itself is all there is. Most plumbing problems with a toilet can be fixed by changing the flange and wax ring. At worst, overhaul the whole toilet with a complete flush kit. The “gross factor” is why most people don’t mess with it.

Know your plumbing

A lot of Macon and Warner robins Georgia houses are built on Slab foundations. Any problems under a slab will get expensive quick. Luckily, they are not too common. We have learned that if the house is built before 1975, the main choices for drain plumbing at that time were terracotta pipe and Cast-Iron plumbing.

Terracotta is rust resistant, but brittle. Cast iron pipes are durable, but not rust resistant. It is a good idea to have a plumber run a camera thru your pipes every two or three years to inspect your pipes if you own a house this old.

Plumbing is not hard to maintain if you have a little mechanical know-how. Give it a try.

Good luck