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Just picture it: you’re fast asleep and nature calls. You hobble over to the bathroom with your phone light, almost tripped on a pair of socks, and finally make it. After you’re done taking care of business, you flush and no water falls. You go to the sink and there’s barely any water dripping down. You know you paid the bills, you know you there’s no construction going on. And now you’ve got yourself a legitimate plumbing problem in the dead of night. Issues like these are more common than you think. They can range from overflowing toilets, leaking faucets, or any spout that just decides to not cooperate. Having them happen during the most inopportune times is Murphy’s Law in action. Fortunately, there are things you can do to make the situation less of an annoyance.

Tip #1: Sink Doesn’t Drain

One of the most common plumbing issues is a sink that doesn’t drain. They happen fairly often, especially for people with long hair. Things will get stuck in the pipes eventually. It’s just a matter of time. This is especially true if you’ve got longer hair or live with somebody who does.

If you’ve got a snake or a zip-it, you can solve some of the lighter clogged drains. But for dense plugs and larger jobs, The Emergency Plumbing Squad out in Brooklyn does not recommend that you do it yourself as you may find an underlying problem that you’re not prepared for. This case happens much more than you think.

Hiring professionals may be your best option as they are sure to find the root of the problem. There’s nothing wrong trying pouring harsh chemicals down the drain, just make sure you do it according to instructions and knows when to stop yourself from trying.

Tip #2: Low Pressure Sink

If you’ve noticed that your sink isn’t yielding the same pressure that it normally is, or if you’ve noticed a gradual decrease in pressure, the most likely culprit is mineral buildup. You don’t need to throw away the kitchen sink. First, you’ll want to check if it affects both the hot and cold water. If so, it’s more likely the aerator. The aerator is that mesh piece at the very end of your sink that turns the water all bubbly white. If you twist it off, take a look at all the mighty buildup it collects. Clean it out or replace it, and you should be fine.

Tip #3: Running Toilet

Let’s say you use the toilet, you flush, you wash your hands, everything is good, and an hour later you go in the toilet again and it’s still running. That’s happened to all of us. If you haven’t figured out how to fix this, it’s either the float component or the flapper. The flapper is the rubber stopper that keeps the water in the tank. You push the plunger and the water falls down into the bowl. The float is actually the lever that shuts the water off once it hits a certain level. 90% of the time it will be one of those two things. You just have to make sure the float goes up and down and the flapper actually closes over the hole.

For anything more complicated than the above mentioned issues, it’s best to call a professional. They can run a complete diagnosis and even identify problems that can cost you an arm and a leg down the line. Though certain emergencies can get done easily, you don’t want to deal with a huge mess afterwards attempting to do more than you can handle.