For most homes, the kitchen is a vital part for those who live there. It’s where you cook your food, and when it’s out of commission, it makes your life significantly harder. Now, not all problems require you to call a plumber. Some of them can be fixed on your own with a quick trip to your local hardware store, which will save you both time and money. Take a look at these common kitchen plumbing problems and see if you can fix them yourself.
Leaky Faucet
A leaky faucet is probably the most common problem homeowners encounter in their kitchen. It can also quickly become a very expensive problem if left unfixed. There can be a variety of causes, depending on where the leak is coming from.
If your faucet is leaking from the base, the most likely culprit is a worn down O-ring. Carefully loosen the coupling nut and remove the spout from the socket. From there, you can easily switch out the worn down O-ring with the new one. If your faucet is leaking from the tap, the issue could be the cartridge, washer, valve seat, or a combination of all three. These could be fixed on your own, but there are a few more steps than the O-ring and require more tools. If you’re not confident in your abilities, consider calling a plumber to help.
Clogged Drain
Clogged drains are often self-inflicted problems. If you pour too much crease down your pipe or treat it more like a trach can, your pipes will clog over time. You can easily fix this on your own by using a plunger to dislodge teh debris or a drain cleaner to break it up. If you choose to use a drain cleaner, be careful. Some drain cleaners are made with hard chemicals that can wear down your pipes over time. Read the labels clearly before pouring anything down the drain. You can also make your own drain cleaner by mixing an equal amount of baking soda and white vinegar together.
Disposal Malfunction
Garbage disposals are incredibly helpful tools in your kitchen, but they are also incredibly prone to jams and malfunctions over time. Before you attempt to fix it yourself, an important thing to remember is that your disposal is a collection of blades and gears that will injure you if you aren’t careful. Your first step needs to be shutting off power to your disposal from the breaker box. From there, you can dislodge any debris that is preventing your disposal from working properly. Popcorn kernels are often an unseen problem since they’re so small. If there is no visible debris, your garbage disposal might need to be replaced.
Dishwasher Leaking
Your dishwasher is a staple in your kitchen, and as such, is integral to keeping your kitchen functioning. If you spot a leak coming from your dishwasher, the source of the problem could be a wide variety of things, most of which aren’t easily fixed on your own if you’re not a plumber yourself. After you call a plumber or dishwasher technician to come out a look at your dishwasher, stop using your dishwasher until it is fixed. Continued usage could cause more damage to your dishwasher and the area around it.
Refrigerator Leaking
Similar to your dishwasher, it is hard to operate in your kitchen without a working refrigerator. However, a leak from your fridge doesn’t automatically mean there’s something wrong with your fridge. If the floor beneath your fridge is uneven (especially if you recently moved it), the pool of water may very well simply be a collection of condensation from your fridge working properly. The front of the fridge should be slightly higher than the back of the fridge by half an inch at max to prevent the collection of condensation and to keep your fridge working properly.
If your fridge is at the proper level, the problem could be any number of things that are not easily fixed if you aren’t a trained technician. Call a refrigerator technician to come diagnose what’s wrong. You don’t need to stop using your fridge like you do with a dishwasher, but you should keep an eye out to make sure things don’t get worse.