Plumbing Mistakes that iSpecialise can Fix

Plumbing Mistakes that iSpecialise can Fix

Have you ever had one of those moments where you weren’t concentrating and did something stupid that you regret? We all do it, but when it involves your household plumbing, mistakes can be costly.

As one of the leading plumbers in Auckland, the team at iSpecialise are often called to jobs for this very reason. The homeowner or their kids acted without thinking, and the professional plumbers in Auckland are needed to resolve the issue.

Simple, seemingly innocent acts can lead to costly mistakes, and they’re not confined to the toiler. Plumbing mistakes can happen anywhere in the home, inside or outside. There is an upside to falling victim to avoidable plumbing mistakes; you won’t make the same mistake twice.

iSpecialise excels in all areas of plumbing, including blocked drains, water leaks, gas leaks, and hot water systems. We’re also fully licenced gas works. Thus, we’ve seen and fixed just about any and all household plumbing mistakes you can imagine, and we’re well practised to fix yours!

Continue reading to discover the most common plumbing mistakes that we’re called to fix. If you have one of these plumbing problems, you can count on us to turn up on time and get your plumbing problems fixed in no time at all.

Clogged toilet from excess toilet paper

Clogged toilet auckland

Teaching kids not to go overboard with toilet paper when toilet training is one of the best things you can do. Handfuls and handfuls of toilet paper can clog your pipes, preventing a toilet from clearing when flushed. There’s really nothing worse than having a toilet that won’t flush, especially if it’s the only toilet in the house and you need to continue to use it.

Toilet paper isn’t the only culprit of a clogged toilet. In Auckland, we’ve seen all sorts of things that cause a toilet to block, including nappies, sanitary items, hair, bathroom wipes, medicine, condoms, paper towels, cotton balls, dental floss; you name it!

If you don’t want to have a clogged toilet, make sure ONLY toilet paper is placed in it and not in excess.

How We Fix a Clogged Toilet

The first thing iSpecialise Auckland plumbers do in the case of a clogged toilet is to test the drainage of the toilet. This is done by removing the cistern lid, lifting the flapper valve to let a small amount of water in the bowl, and seeing if water goes down.

If that doesn’t clear the clog, the next step is to try a plunger, and if you don’t have a plunger, then I recommend you duck out to Bunnings and get one! We simply place the plunger into the flange of the toilet and push it in and out vigorously.

In 90% of cases, a simple plunger will clear a clogged toilet. For the other 10% of cases where neither method above works, we have to get dirty disassembling the toilet to access the mounting ring and manually clear the blockage.

Broken Sewer, Stormwater or Mains Water pipes

Leak Detection Service

Essential for any Auckland’s home plumbing is to have fully functioning pipes. Sewer and stormwater and stormwater pipes both remove waste/water from your home while the mains water supply pipe connects your home to the local water supply. There’s also your telcom and electricity wires, and possible gas supply to consider.

A crack, split, or any damage to these pipes is pretty bad and needs urgent repairs. Yet, we still see homeowners digging around their yard willy-nilly, without giving any thought to the pipes that may be just a couple of feet below them.

Whether your renovating, building a patio, excavating, or planting a single tree, there’s always a chance that you will hit one of these essential pipes and need to give iSpecialise Auckland plumbers a call.

To be on the safe side, PLEASE, whatever you do, go to beforeUdig. This free service will provide you with information on the location of cables, pipes, and other utility assets on your property. It can potentially prevent this common plumbing mistake, so you won’t need to call us to fix it.

How We Fix a Broken Pipe

The first thing iSpecialise Auckland plumbers do in the case of a blocked pipe is to visit the site and assess the situation. We’ll determine the type of pipe you’ve hit and note the materials needed for repair. Once we have the materials, we will clear away the dirt, cut back the pipe and add a connector. The pipe is tested to ensure it is free of leaks.

A blocked kitchen sink from grease build-up

bliss

Like a blocked toilet, having a blocked kitchen sink in Auckland can be very inconvenient. There’s only one kitchen sink in a house, and it needs to be working at all times.

There are many culprits of a blocked kitchen sink, but grease and oil are the most common causes. Both may be in a liquid format when they’re hot, but as soon as they reach your sink, they are cooled down by the water and start to solidify. Over time, the solidified grease and oil continues to build up till such a time when the sink will not clear.

Along with grease and oil, food scraps, soap scum, and coffee grounds often contribute to having a blocked kitchen sink.

How We Fix a blocked Kitchen Sink

To a degree, clearing a blocked kitchen sink is similar to clearing a clogged toilet. The best place to start is with a plunger. We start by placing the plunger into the basket waste of the sink and vigorously push it in and out to dislodge the blockage.

If this doesn’t work, then we pull out our plumber’s snake. The coiled spiral snake can reach down the drain. Once it hits the obstruction, we hook onto the mass, dislodging it as we pull it out of the drain.

While a plumber’s snake usually clears a blocked kitchen sink in Auckland, sometimes the blockage is further down the drain in the U-Bend. In such cases, the best solution is to clear the sink of water and disassemble the U-Bend beneath the sink to remove the blockage manually.

For DYI tips to clear your kitchen sink yourself, refer to our article, Tips For Clearing A Blocked Drain

Blocked downpipes and stormwater pipes from gutter debris

Blocked downpipes auckland

One of the most overlooked home chores is the clearing of gutters. Out of sight, out of mind, right. This shouldn’t be the case.

Neglecting to clear debris, leaves and dirt from your gutters can lead to blockages in your downpipes and stormwater pipes, preventing rainwater from draining away, and can lead to flooding.

Once the debris leaves the gutters, it can become lodge in the downpipe or stormwater and will need a professional plumber in Auckland to clear.

How We Fix blocked downpipes and stormwater pipes

The first thing iSpecialise Auckland plumbers do in the case of a blocked downpipe or stormwater pipe is to locate the specific point of the blockage. We do this by placing our CCTV camera down the downpipe/drain to locate the blockage. We will then provide you with an on-the-spot fixed quote to dig up and repair your stormwater drain.

Conclusion

Having working plumbing is essential. If one pipe gets clogged, one toilet gets blocked, or a pipe is broken, it can cause havoc to our daily routine and become a real inconvenience. While some plumbing problems are caused by age or wear and tear, others are unavoidable – they’re a result of our own actions or lack of actions.

In the case of clogged toilets, broken sewer, stormwater, or mains pipes, blocked kitchen sinks or blocked downpipes and stormwater pipes, we bring them on ourselves, and more often than not, they’re preventable.

By being aware of how such problems can easily occur, we hope you think twice before flushing foreign objects down the toilet, pour hot fat down the kitchen sink, or dig in your yard without looking into where your pipes and wires are located. While such actions will help prevent these common plumbing mistakes, sometimes they just happen. For those times, iSpecialise is here to help.

Whether you have a blocked drain, clogged toilet, have hit and damaged a pipe and caused it to leak or have pooling water as a result of blocked downpipes or stormwater pipes, we’re the team to call. Our professional Auckland plumbers have the right tools to get the problem resolved in record time, and without it costing you a fortune.

Give the team a call today on 09-2322 895 for all your Auckland plumbing needs.

For other tips on preventing plumbing mistakes around your home, be sure to read Tips to Prevent Blocked Drains at Home.

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