Home Plumbing Systems.
You can book for domestic plumbing maintenance.
The main divisions of residential plumbing systems are
- Cold water supply ( under pressure)
- Hot water supply
- Drainage
Cold water supply system works under pressure, as the water branches off the main municipal water system. The pressure enables the water to move upwards to supply plumbing facilities and equipment. Cold water supplies faucets, water heaters like geysers, and other facilities like showers and tubs. The transporting element is now usually copper, which is becoming a favourite plumbing pipe in South Africa. The benefits are that it does not corrode, and is easier in terms of repairs, when compared to galvanized pipes for instance.
Shut Off Valve
At every housing unit, there is a main water valve, referred commonly as a shut off valve. This valve, is the main “entrance gate” of the house as far as water is concerned. Once shut off, no water flows within the house. Usually, a water meter is placed soon after the shut off valve, so as to record all the water flowing into the property/house.
The main shut off valve is a dear friend in times of plumbing emergency, such as a burst water pipe. Home owners should always know where their shut off or main water valve is, so that you save water while you wait for solutions to plumbing problems. A quick response in shutting off main water supply will be very helpful in these circumstances. Particularly when you consider that the water is under pressure, it does not take lots of time to fill up and spread all over your entire property. And you do not want to be forking out lots of money if this happens at night, you need the option to shut off and seek help next morning if possible
Hot Water In Home Plumbing Systems
Geysers receive cold water under pressure, and heat the water up for distribution to various plumbing elements. The water is transported to showers, basins, sinks and any other facility that uses hot water at home The means of heating the water varies according to the type of water heater. A geyser can either work by solar system, electricity or gas. The end result is hot water flowing within the house. Solar systems and gas systems are efficient in cost saving. The installation costs for solar system is relatively higher, but long term savings are obtainable over time through reduced electricity bills. The same applies to gas, as gas heating only consumes energy at the instant of use.
Drainage
All water that is made use of in the home environment will end up in the drainage system. Different sizes of pipes carry the waste water for drainage. The waste water drainage system will normally link up, although collect separately, sink, shower, basin collects separate from toilet. The waste water from the house however, is always separate from the storm water system. They should never be connected.
Important Plumbing Components
Plumbing components like pressure control valve and safety valves are important in the functionality of the plumbing system. In the family of valves, we have the shut off valve as described previously, enabling to cut off supply during maintenance, emergencies and repairs. Non return valves are also important for certain plumbing facilities, as they are made to allow flow of water only in one direction and not reverse. This is useful for equipment like sewer pumps for instance, whereby you do not need the sewer flowing backwards.
Another drainage component is the S- trap, which prevents smell from the main drainage pipes getting back into the house. The S-trap traps water at the bend, which acts as a buffer to block smell coming back into the toilet, or the sink. Thus keeping the house free from smells of drainage pipe systems.
Common problems in the home plumbing systems
Dripping Faucets
Usually a sign of a finished seal, but could also be a results of worn out parts or broken parts
Sink, shower, toilet and the drainage pipes outside the house can get blocked by hairs, roots and unwanted material. Professional drain cleaners use drain equipment of remove and eliminate the blockage
Pipes may leak due to a number of reasons such as corrosion or worn out contacts. Plumbers resolve
Continuous dripping of water in toilets
Water that keeps running in the toilet.
Geyser problems
Geysers not heating up, leaking geyser parts, burst geysers