Express Sewer & Drain Blog

Caring for home water pipes can be tricky business if you don’t fully know exactly what you’re doing (such as in repairs, renovations, or even everyday use), or what to look for when diagnosing abnormal pipe behaviors.

A lot of times, especially for Sacramento area homeowners, maltreatment of water pipes and poor plumbing repair techniques can make matters worse, calling for more thorough and expensive repairs than initially needed. However, even with full water pipe repairs, keeping in mind the best technologies and plumbing resources can end up saving you time and money down the line. When it comes to proper home water line maintenance, a little know-how can go a long way.

Common Water Pipe Problems

Ignoring your pipes can lead to costly plumbing issues down the road and even flooding if you're not careful. Here are some common problems to keep an eye out for.

• Leaky pipes: If you notice a leaking pipe or suspect you have one in your walls, it's best to hire a plumber. Your plumber will evaluate for potential causes such as high water pressure.
• Obstructed pipes: When you're consistently washing down debris like food, dirt, and hair down your drains, it can clog your pipes. Chemical drain cleaner is not recommended because it can damage your pipes. We recommend using a drain snake or auger to clear the obstruction.  
• Sewer backup: Preventative maintenance is the best way to avoid this issue. If you have a septic tank, be sure to get it emptied on schedule (at least every few years). 
• Backed-up garbage disposal: Be mindful about what goes into your garbage disposal to avoid a clog. Waste such as coffee grounds, egg shells, and grease can cause a back-up in your garbage disposal.

3 Water Pipe Mistakes to Avoid

If you're having issues with the pipes in your home, try to avoid making these common mistakes.

1. Deciding to go the DIY Route

For starters, don’t try to fix your home water and sewer pipes yourself if you don’t fully understand just what you’re doing. If you don’t have the right tools or understand how your home plumbing and water lines work, it’s best to contact a professional plumbing service to tend to your pipes, rather than go for DIY repairs. By opting for self-repairs without the proper preparation, you can easily wind up in over your head with more extensive damage, and higher repair costs.

If you do decide to go through with DIY plumbing repairs to home water pipes, be sure to have the following tools ready at your disposal, as they can make all the difference in how successful your Sacramento pipe repairs are:

• A basin wrench and pipe wrench
• Hacksaw
• Metal file
• Plumbing snake, or auger
• Adjustable hex wrench

2. Ignoring Minor Plumbing Problems

A further mistake we see all too often in Sacramento water pipe maintenance occurs when homeowners ignore, or “brush off” the warning signs of pipe damage. In many cases, adverse pipe conditions don’t just spring up out of the blue; they are fully detectable (and sometimes preventable), should you know what to look for.

If you notice any of the following symptoms of pipe problems in your home’s plumbing, it may be time to consider renovations... especially if more than one is present. Should you choose to ignore compounding problems, you’ll likely be faced with full, expensive water line replacements in a short time:

• Indentations to your lawn, or lush grass concentrations
• Moisture spots and recurring dampness
• Poor water flow and decreasing pressure
• Persistent clogging
• Foul or unnatural odors, possibly indicative of mold

On their own, these conditions are easily overlooked, and can later develop into detrimental plumbing emergencies when left unchecked. If you notice any of these warning signs, no matter how small they might seem, contact a local plumbing expert right away

3. Using Outdated Repair Methods

It turns out that perhaps the biggest, and most costly, home water pipe mistake you can make actually occurs during professional repairs. That is, hiring professional plumbing experts who still use outdated, impractical, and overly expensive repair techniques.

Conventionally, the only way to repair home pipes was by physically digging out (“trenching”) and excavating damaged pipe sections; an expensive, time-consuming process that would also tear apart lawns and ruin home landscaping. At the time, these side-effects of trenching were necessary sacrifices, as operational plumbing typically takes precedence.

With the advent of trenchless technologies, however, these inefficient repairs have become a technique of the past. By using innovative cured-in-place pipes (CIPP), plumbing specialists can fully repair damaged or broken water pipes without digging, saving you both time and money right off the bat.

Trenchless repair methods eliminate the need for full-scale excavations, which lowers overhead labor costs and minimizes the inherent risks of digging through lawns (such as asbestos exposure). Used cured-in-place, epoxy plastic resins, and air bladders, specialists physically form new pipes in afflicted areas, resolving any pipe damages in a matter of hours. By lining over your pipe damages, instead of excavating damaged sections and refilling trenched areas, you can save exponentially in your pipe repairs, and limit the adverse risks of traditional renovations.

Call a Professional if You're Experiencing Water Pipe Issues

The experts at Express Sewer & Drain make it easy to have your Sacramento pipes fully repaired and limit your risks of future pipe damage for decades to come (most cured-in-place pipes can last at least 50 years!). To learn more on proper water pipe care, or what trenchless repair technologies can do for you, contact us today.