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Take the fixture apart and inspect
it: is the hole in the pipe open, or has it filled
up with mineral deposits? You'd be amazed at the
things that can end up in your water lines.
Especially in cities with large water mains,
sediment can actually produce little pebbles that
make their way through the water lines and get
trapped in a faucet or shower. Make sure shower
heads aren't clogged with debris: if they are, you
can clean them yourself. Sometimes all you have to
do it take off the fixture and knock the rocks
out: otherwise, you might have to soak the thing
in vinegar overnight and give it a good scrubbing
before replacing it. If it's the shower, you're in
luck: you can spend a little time and clean out
the clogged head or just replace the whole shower
head for about $15.
Once you've ruled out any problems with fittings and
fixtures, you may discover that the problem is with the
actual pipes in your house. Nothing in a house can last
forever—roofs need reshingling, wooden boards go rotten
with damp, and sills sometimes need to be replaced. Old
water pipes also outlive their usefulness when they get
clogged with mineral deposits, which is inevitable over
time. Because old pipes were usually made of galvanized
iron, they tend to corrode as well as to build up on the
inside with minerals. Hot water makes the mineral
deposits grow faster, and water lines laid horizontally
also tend to build up faster than those running
vertically. Old water pipes can become nearly clogged
with minerals, and you can't really clean them out
because while minerals build up, the walls of the pipes
are also breaking down: even removing a length of pipe
with a wrench can break it like a brittle twig.
It may be that once you've figured out what's
involved in replacing your pipes, you don't want
anything to do with it! So you hire a reputable plumber
(and get a written estimate and contract with
warranties). Some plumbers will put in copper pipes and
join them to galvanized pipes which aren't as clogged.
There are copper adaptors that can join the two metals,
but you will end up with bigger problems than before,
because the reaction between the galvanized iron and the
copper creates additional corrosion in the galvanized
pipe. When the copper pipes are added to the old iron
ones, you will get leaks as the older pipes break down
even faster than before. It's smarter in the long run to
have all the piping replaced at one time if you can
possibly afford it. Some people decide to go ahead and
do the work themselves so they can save the money on the
plumber and can afford to do the whole job.
It can be a matter of life and death to get the right
pipes when you're working in the house. Some people have
made the mistake of thinking their natural gas lines are
water lines. Cutting into a gas line will cause an
explosion! Gas lines are often black, and galvanized
iron water pipes are gray unless someone has painted
them. If they’re painted, you may have problems figuring
out which pipes go with which utility. Water pipes are
usually 7/8ths on an inch in diameter, but lines may
vary depending on the date on construction, building
codes and builders. The upshot is that you should never
work on a pipe unless you are absolutely sure you know
what's inside of it!
If you buy fittings that don't come with the solder
already on them, make sure you buy lead free solder: you
don't want lead ending up in your water! To solder
copper pipes, you'll need the tubing, a tube cutter of,
flux, and a propane torch. If you're new to soldering or
haven't done it in while, practice on some left over
tubing first, so you're confident when it comes time to
solder the actual joints.
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