plumbers Bunbury Archives - Page 8 of 8

Signs of a Blocked Pipe

Have you got a sinking feeling that your pipes might be blocked? When it comes to the plumbing pipes that run through your home, it’s handy to think of them like the veins and arteries in your body. When the veins are clean, the fluid runs freely and efficiently throughout the body, but when there’s a blockage along the way, look out! If water doesn’t drain properly, it can cause problems not just limited to your pipes, such as mould, water damage to your walls and carpets/flooring and even shifting of the foundations of your home. Fortunately, blocked drains and pipes show obvious warning signs before the small problem becomes a huge nightmare.

Smell
Overflow
Strange Noises
Too Long to Drain

Smell

One of the more obvious signs that your drain is accumulating waste is the smell it lets off. Bad smells around your kitchen sink, shower, bathtub and toilet indicates the accumulation of debris, food, hair and other nasties in your pipes causing a blockage and backup. Over time, these start to decompose and the smell travels back up the pipe. The bigger the blockage, the fouler the smell!

Overflow

The top indicator that your pipes are blocked is when the kids squeal out “the toilet is overflowing!!” when they flush it. When water can’t pass through the pipes, it backflows and causes the water to rise up where it can. The toilet usually has enough water pressure to correct the issue, but if not, a professional will need to be brought in.

Strange Noises

Do your drains sometimes sound like there’s a monster living down there in the darkness? Strange gurgling noises sounding when the water is draining from the sink or shower is a sign to have your pipes checked. These obscure sounds come from water flow disruptions, much like waves crashing against rocks, as noise is created when the rushing water hits whatever is stuck in the pipeline.

Too Long To Drain

Another sign your pipes are probably a little backed up is the slow draining of water from sinks, toilets, bathtubs and showers. Bath and toilet water should create a whirlpool motion above the drain to indicate it is flowing efficiently, whereas showers should only take a second or two to empty once you’ve turned off the water. Sink water should drain steadily and quickly, with no bubbles or back wash. If any of these take longer than usually to drain, it’s a sign that debris is blocking the way.

Need Help With Blocked Drains?

Blocked drains and pipes are just too unpredictable to ignore. Don’t wait for small warning signs to become big problems. If your pipes are showing symptoms of being a little clogged up, call the team at Mainline Plumbing & Cheap Hot Water & Gas to discuss steps to get them flowing freely again.

Are Your Pipes Backed Up?

Blocked drain Blocked pipes are a disaster waiting to happen and although they take time to accumulate to become a big problem, prevention is simple and a lot more cost-effective than time and money spent unclogging and repairing the pipes.

“Around 30% of blockages in our wastewater system are caused by fats, oils and grease solidifying in pipes. Blocked pipes can cause major damage to your plumbing and our wastewater system, and could result in an overflow to the environment. This also applies to flushing rubbish, such as cotton buds and sanitary items, down the toilet. To help avoid drain pain, please throw your waste properly in the bin.” – Water Corporation of WA: www.watercorporation.com.au/monster

What You Should Not Put Down Your Drain?

Things that can be blocking your pipes include:

Cooking fats and oils
Sanitary products and wipes
Chemicals
Food
Rubbish

Cooking Fat and Oils

Oils and water don’t mix, and when you tip fats and oils down the drain after cooking, they solidify on the walls of your pipes and trap more and more waste as time goes on. A staggering 30% of blockages are caused by these nasties, which are sticky and difficult to remove once established.

Sanitary products and wipes

Ear buds and tampons may have been marketed to be flushed, but these products, along with sanitary napkins and nappies, should be wrapped and placed in a bin, never flushed. The plastic stick in ear buds makes a great framework for waste to stick to and nappies, pads and tampons all swell significantly when placed in water, almost tripling in size and providing the perfect plug in your pipes.

Baby wipes may feel as thin as toilet paper, but they don’t break down like regular loo paper. Pop these in the bin too.

Chemicals

Paint, fertiliser, oils and pesticides should NEVER be flushed or tipped down a drain. As tempting as it may be to tip these down the outside drain of your home whilst you are cleaning up or gardening outside, these products actually need to be disposed of professionally. Contact your local council for details on contractors who can dispose of these.

Food

A lot of food scraps make it into our pipes, adding to the blockage with every grain of rice or piece of egg white. Scrape your plates clean before placing in the sink or dishwasher – which may have a catcher for food waste but doesn’t always catch everything – and keep a four-course dinner from piling up in your pipes.

Rubbish

Tiny toys that have escaped through the bath plug hole, golf balls dropped in the outside drain or kitty litter tried to be flushed down the toilet are completely non-biodegradable and can live in your pipes for years, adding to the build-up of waste and damaging your pipes. Place grates and drains over pipe access and encourage kids to keep these items away from the drain pipe suction.

Need Help With Blocked Pipe?

Preventing pipe blockages is essential not only for the efficiency of the plumbing in your home, but also for the wastewater network that keeps water supply running to our businesses, hospitals and other important infrastructure. All flushing and repairs of blocked pipes should be performed by a professional with expertise and tools to carry out the task efficiently and cost-effectively.

Should your pipes start showing signs of blockage, contact Mainline Plumbing & Cheap Hot Water & Gas on 9791 1608 (Bunbury) we offer 24/7 service – remember to ring.

Winter Plumbing Problems

Winter is the worst time to be messing around with your plumbing, especially when temperatures drop and you’re having to dig around looking for a burst pipe or fix a half-frozen garden hose. Issues that can be easily rectified in warmer months often cause havoc in cold conditions so save yourself time, money and possible frostbite and ‘winterise’ your plumbing today.

Wrap Up the Garden Hose

If you don’t need the garden hose over winter, it’s best to disconnect, drain, coil and store it until the days get warmer. Trapped water left in garden hoses can freeze and lead to expansion and cause damage to not just the hose, but to connections and taps.

Drain Your Hot Water Unit

Your hot water unit is essentially a huge kettle, boiling water and then letting it sit. The debris and sediment that forms on the lining and bottom of the unit can cause huge damage to the unit itself so the unit, and it’s contents, should be drained at least once, if not twice, a year.

Clean Your Gutters

A necessary evil, cleaning out the gutters will not only prolong the life of your drainage, but it can prevent damage extending to the foundations of your home. Blocked gutters cause excess water to spill over the edge and pool around the base of poles and lower lying areas, creating issues with underlying stability and safety of your home and its surroundings.
Clear your gutters of leaves and debris and keep the water running in the pipe.

Routine maintenance is key, especially to avoid unnecessary water dramatics in the wet months. Mainline Plumbing & Cheap Hot Water & Gas can assist with all your plumbing maintenance needs to protect your pipes all year round.
Call us today on 9791 1608 (Bunbury)

Regular pruning saves water

Regular pruning

Save water, regularly pruned your plants!

We can’t get enough of gardening especially when the weather is so mild. It’s a rewarding feeling to see your plants grow. As much as we would like to devote most of our time to gardening, we can’t. There’s just too many things that keep us busy.

Did you know that your plants need regular pruning? Regular pruning allows your plants to grow healthy. Healthy trees and plants can use their water intake better and that means less water is needed.

These days, it is important that you know how to save water. Water is life, therefore it is essential that we care for our water supply! With Australia’s climate getting drier and drier all the time water conversation is essential. Don’t waste water, start pruning your plants! Check on when is the best time of the year to prune individual plant types as some like Winter, Spring and others in Autumn .pruning Don’t forget to mulch!

Mainline Plumbing & Cheap Hot Water & Gas know how to save money, they can fix all your irrigation needs and install automatic timing systems too. Give them a call today on 9791 1608 (Bunbury) for all of your plumbing needs.

Connecting South Bunbury residence to the Deep Sewerage System

We recently connected this South Bunbury residence to the Water Corporations deep sewerage system. We have been connecting local properties just like yours for over 30 years so for an on-site free quotation contact ‘the trusted name in the plumbing industry’,
contact Mainline Plumbing and Cheap Hot Water and Gas on 9791 1608 (Bunbury)

Connecting sewerage system

Are you connected to the Water Corporations deep sewerage system?? Are you able to be?? Not sure if your still connected to the septic system?? Ask ‘the trusted name in the plumbing industry’ Mainline Plumbing and Cheap Hot Water and Gas to have all your drainage questions and queries answered.

Do you have plumbing problems and need to connect to the new sewerage system? Don’t hesitate to call the experts at 9791 1608 (Bunbury) and let’s talk. Here at Mainline Plumbing and Cheap Hot Water and Gas, we want to make your life comfortable and easy so talk to us today!

Sewer Conversion

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