12 Common Plumbing Problems and How to Avoid Them

The ones we get called for most

Running toilets, where a worn flapper or a misadjusted fill valve quietly passes water for months. Nothing dramatic happens, but it is one of the largest avoidable items on a water bill.

Dripping taps, almost always a worn cartridge or seat. Hard water shortens the life of both, which is why fixtures here need attention sooner than the packaging suggests.

Slow drains, usually accumulation rather than a single obstruction. A drain that has slowed gradually is telling you about buildup along the pipe wall.

Recurring blockages, which are a different problem from a one-off blockage. If the same drain blocks repeatedly, something structural is causing it, and clearing it again without finding out why is a repair you buy twice.

Water heater failure, frequently preceded by months of warning: noises during heating, slower recovery, discoloured hot water.

Leaking supply lines to appliances, particularly the flexible connectors behind washing machines and under sinks, which are among the most common causes of significant water damage.

Failing shutoff valves, discovered at the worst moment, when someone needs to close one in a hurry and it will not turn.

Sewer line problems, from root intrusion, joint failure or bellying, usually showing first as several fixtures draining slowly at once.

Frozen and burst pipes, on unheated runs, in crawlspaces and on outside walls.

Water pressure complaints, which are sometimes a pressure problem and sometimes corroded supply pipe.

Garbage disposal jams, mostly from what went in.

Hidden leaks inside walls or under slabs, which announce themselves through a bill, a stain or a warm patch of floor rather than visible water.

Which are genuinely preventable

Most of them, and the preventive steps are unglamorous. Flush the water heater. Replace flexible appliance connectors before they fail rather than after. Exercise shutoff valves so they still turn. Treat hard water rather than replacing the parts it destroys. Have a drain that keeps blocking looked at properly once instead of cleared repeatedly.

Frozen pipes are prevented by insulating the runs that freeze and disconnecting hoses before winter.

Which are not

Sewer line failure from ground movement or root intrusion, and pipe material reaching the end of its life. Those are inspection and planning problems rather than maintenance problems, and catching them early is the only lever you have.