New York City and all the of the surrounding areas are notorious for ancient brick buildings and old plumbing. It is incredibly common for Manhattan residents especially to experience some yearly Manhattan plumbing problems ranging from low water pressure to cold water showers. Whether you occasionally notice almost ghost-like water behaviors or you are continually trying to fix your fixtures, if you are experiencing one or more of these common Manhattan plumbing problems, we have a few solutions to suggest before you call for repairs.
Low Water Pressure
Low water pressure can come from all sorts causes, some of which you can reach and fix and some you cannot. The most likely cause is some clog inside your pipes. This can be a single corroding pipe in your walls or a faucet aerator full of mineral deposits.
To check, remove the aerators of your faucets, the bit with the screen, and soak them in vinegar for an hour or two, then gently rub clean under warm water. This should fix any clogging there. Give the same treatment to your shower heads or tie a bag of vinegar around them if you do not want to take them down.
If your water comes out yellow to red tinted, call a plumber because you have a pipe rusting through, which is probably causing the water pressure problem as well.
Slow Drains
We have looked at slow coming in, now let’s look at slow going out. Your drains clog up for all the same reasons plus anything of yours that goes down them. While we are all familiar with the rules of the toilet. Don’t forget that hair, food, and debris also cause clogs.
Do your best to pull out anything you can reach and if you are brave, remove and clear the S pipe underneath each sink. This should help. If you have one drain that won’t go, try flushing it with vinegar then leaving a trickle of slightly warm water running down the drain for a few hours to break up any caked-on deposits.
Leaky Faucets
Your capacity to fix a steady drip depends on your equipment and confidence as a DIY plumber. In some cases, you may be able to simply tighten several of the valves and connections involved with the faucet and handles to eliminate the drip. Otherwise, you might need to install a more secure fixture or ask a professional plumber to take care of the task for you.
Losing Hot Water
Up here in the chilly Northeast, hot water is simply not optional. In many cases, it is dangerous to wash your hands without warming up the water first. If your water heater is having trouble keeping up, you will need a few tricks to keep it moving until you can get a professional out to your home.
First, make sure the pilot light is on and that the thermostat on the water heater is set correctly. Most of them are set to 140 F, though many people set them to 120 to save power. If it is below 100, that has been your problem.
If you are feeling confident, try flushing the water heater and breaking up the sediment at the bottom, as this can lower your water heater’s functionality.
Constantly Running Toilet
The final plumbing irritation is the constantly running toilet. No matter what you do or how precisely you flush, the toilet just keeps running. This is usually caused by a damaged or aging rubber seal inside the tank known as the flapper. You can get a replacement flapper kit at almost any hardware store, department store, and sometimes even grocery stores. Set it according to the instructions, test a few times, and your toilet should stop running.
Tired of dealing with Manhattan plumbing problems? You are not alone, most of Manhattan is looking for a good plumber. For more information about how to find a reliable local plumber in Manhattan, contact Kew Forest Plumbing today.