10 MISTAKES THAT WILL MAKE YOU CALL THE PLUMBER

10 Mistakes That Will Make You Call the Plumber
By Brett Martin, Popular Mechanics, 19 April 2013.

A pipe springs a leak, the drain backs up, or you need professional help with the water lines when remodelling a bathroom - these are all good reasons to phone a plumber. But sometimes you pick up the phone in need of emergency help after making a boneheaded mistake. We asked the pros what errors they see most frequently so you can avoid them.

1. Treating the Garbage Disposal Like a Trash Compactor

Despite the name, not all garbage belongs in the disposals. Most garbage doesn't, yet some homeowners want to cram their waste down there until the blades stop turning. Watermelon rinds, potato peels, and pumpkin carvings are common items that plumbers and handymen have had to remove to free the blades. "Say 'garbage disposal' and people think they can put anything in there," says Tim Gaulke, a handyman and president of Northland Improvements in Shakopee, Minnesota [USA].

Joseph Albergo, a professional plumber and an assistant to the executive director for the Plumbing Council of Chicagoland, said homeowners aren't always the problem: If you're having a house party, make sure your guests don't dump everything down there.

2. Forgetting to Remove the Disposal Plug

Another common mistake with garbage disposals happens with the installation. The install is straightforward and doesn't require advanced plumbing skills, but if the unit is to be connected to a dishwasher, a knockout plug in the disposal must be removed first. If there's no dishwasher, there's no issue - the plug creates a seal. But if there is a dishwasher and the plug isn't removed, then it'll block the hole where the dishwasher hose connects, causing water to leak everywhere.

"We get calls from people saying they just installed the disposal and water is leaking all over," says Alex Holland, general manager for Plumbing Masters in Peoria, Arizona [USA]. "You have to remove the plug in there."

3. Placing Too Much Weight on Fixtures

Holland has a simple message for homeowners: Don't put weight on plumbing fixtures. That means not hanging heavy shampoo racks from showerheads or using the bathtub spout as a footrest. "They are not made to have weight on them," Holland says. "It'll snap the showerhead right off at the threads."

4. Joining Dissimilar Metals Without the Proper Connector

Connecting different types of metals in plumbing pipes, such as steel and copper, requires the proper coupling. Without it the metals can quickly corrode at the connection, which is called dielectric corrosion. "The corrosion can build up and close the pipe," Albergo points.

Plumbers know that connecting two different metals requires the use of a special dielectric union, which costs about US$6. Dielectric unions separate the two metals with a rubber washer and plastic sleeve so they don't touch each other.

5. Flushing Household Items or Toys Down the Toilet

Every veteran plumber or handyman has a story about getting called to a home because the family flushed something inappropriate or bizarre down the toilet. "I've seen everything from matchbox cars to tweezers to golf balls in the toilet," Gaulke said. Holland blames a certain Pixar movie from a few years back: "Kids who have seen Monsters, Inc., throw their toys in the toilet," Holland says - he saw a rise in these kinds of calls following the film's release.

If the items get stuck in the trap, then the toilet has to be removed to retrieve them. Plunging can make the problem worse by pushing the toy into the waste line. Holland says he once found a plastic toy camera that had been plunged into, and then stuck inside, the waste line.

6. Dumping Construction Materials Down Drains

You probably feel a great sense of accomplishment after completing a Do-It-Yourself project such as filling holes in walls or giving the room a new paint job. But you could have a new project on your hands if you dump building materials, such as the joint compound used for repairing walls, down the drain. Emptying into or cleaning construction materials in the sink can cause it to back up because the materials can harden in the drain and block it, Albergo says. "Most of the time, the liquid goes down the drain and the solids stay behind. You're not going to get that out with a drain cleaner."

7. Cranking on a Faucet Handle

Repeat after me: Pushing or pulling really hard on a faucet handle when you turn it off is not going to stop a leak or a chronic drip. "One of the most common things homeowners do is crank on it when it's not working," Holland says, and pushing too hard can break the handle without solving the leak or drip problem.

8. Stripping Threads

Here is more proof that good plumbing is not a test of strength. Like pushing too hard on faucet handles, over-tightening plumbing components can cause them to leak or break.

Albergo says that any type of drain part, especially the common plastic and chrome materials, can have their threads stripped by too much tightening. "It doesn't take much."

9. Turning on the Water Heater Before it's Ready

Some homeowners can't wait to turn on their new electric water heater and put it to work. But just because the pipes are attached doesn't mean it's immediately ready for use. If the water heater is turned on before it's full of water, it can burn up, Holland says. "That's an expensive mistake. You want to fill it up with water, take the air bubbles out by running water, then turn it on."

10. Forgetting How Things Go Back Together

Taking apart your plumbing components is easy. Putting them back together? Not so much. Some experts advise taking digital pictures of the disassembly process to help when it's time to put the item together again. Whether you're working on your kitchen or your car, it's a good idea to back up your own memory with some written records.

Holland said homeowners often have problems reassembling kitchen and shower faucets. "With shower valves or kitchen faucets, there are clips in there and a certain way to take them off. There are certain ways to take them apart and put them back together to replace cartridges. And they're not all the same."

[Source: Popular Mechanics. Edited.]

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