Kitchens are a place were action happens in your house. Meals are made, people sit and hang out, there are doors constantly opening and closing, and appliances are consistently being used. Plumbing problems in the kitchen are not just inconvenient, serious damage to your kitchen can be caused too. Since there is no way to predict when a plumbing issue is going to occur, it is best to know what to expect and be prepared to act.
Here are five common kitchen plumbing problems and their solutions:
Faucets
Problems with faucets are usually due to issues that occurred when assembling or dissembling a piece, such as with the seals and washers. You may have recently renovated your kitchen and made a slight error with setting up the new faucet. Don't worry. Unless the leaking is out of control, you don't have to call a plumber right away. Get out the instruction manual for the fixture to see if you can troubleshoot what went wrong.
Flow
If water is refusing to flow out of the faucet, you might have an issue with aerator. The aerator is the piece that mixes water and air but can also become blocked with sediment from minerals. If you notice the aerator is looking clogged up, you can easily unscrew it from the spout and brush it clean or replace it entirely.
Noisy, Leaky Dishwashers
When a dishwasher sounds noisy (like with thumping and clattering), you could be having issues with a faulty piece. Make sure you're loading the dishwasher according to the instructions and make sure there is nothing that could have come loose.
But what about leaks? A dishwasher will sometimes leak onto the kitchen floor if there are problems with the float switch. Damaged sprayers can also cause leaks. You can easily replace any faulty parts, whether it's the switch, sprayers, gaskets, with the right set of tools.
Clogged Drains
With everything that goes through the piping in your household, you can anticipate a clog once in a while. A build-up of sediment from the water or debris going down the drain can be to blame. Be wary of using augers or chemical solutions to clean out the drains. Instead, use a mixture of baking soda and vinegar down the drain, since the bubbling can help clear the clog. If that doesn't help, you might be experiencing other issues, so call a plumber to find out more.
Lack of hot water
Sometimes when you have too many appliances in the kitchen that use water, such as a sink, dishwasher, and refrigerator with an ice cube maker, your hot water heater could be overwhelmed. You might have to get size up if you find that there is not enough hot water for the household. Other issues that cause a lack of hot water include problems with the gas pilot or control valves. Sometimes, the plastic tubing can get kinked too.
You might not always need a plumber for this common kitchen issues, but you should know what to expect and how to fix the problems, even temporarily. After all, there is a lot of important stuff in the kitchen. Do routine maintenance, be ready for anything, and if the issue persists, be sure to pick up the phone or email a trusted plumber to help.