Plumbing Basics in the Bathroom

There are two main functions for plumbing in the bathroom of any home: fresh, clean water needs to get in and waste and used water needs to be removed.

Water Comes In

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Water needs to get in. The sink, shower and/or tub and the toilet all need water to work efficiently and do their jobs. Plumbing brings the water from the source, straight through a meter to measure usage, and into the home. The hot water heater warms the water for the sink and tub while other water bypasses this step resulting in the cold water setting.

The plumbing now diverts into the dissimilar parts of the bathroom with pipes running to the sink, toilet and tub or shower. If a question arises with the draining of the shower and not the sink, the question is more than likely to be contained in the pipes in and nearby the sink. With drain problems in both the sink and the shower, the question may be occurring farther back into the pipes and be more difficult for a homeowner to handle without professional help.

Waste Goes Out

Every bathroom has materials that need to be removed from the home. Plumbing creates an outlet to remove waste and used water. Each facet of the bathroom has it's own waste removal pipes, that all join into a larger pipe that carries out to the sewer system. Pressure is generated from vents that remove gases from the sewer out of the home by way of the roof.

Stop the Water

When any work is being done on the plumbing of a home, the water provide to the home (at least in the area being worked on) needs to be turned off. In the case of the bathroom, there is commonly a valve behind the toilet to stop the flow of water into the sink, toilet and tub or sink. Be sure to turn the valve completely and tightly to ensure no water is able to come straight through the system. In older homes, there may only be one place to turn the water off for the whole house. If this is the case, look for the valve under the sink in the kitchen.

Fixing A Problem

When diagnosing a plumbing question in the bathroom, try to determine whether the question comes from the water coming into the bathroom or the water and waste leaving. Many times, drains can get clogged, effecting the water that is attempting to leave the house. In this case, you can indeed open up the drain and check to see if there is something visibly preventing water from leaving efficiently. If you can see something, exertion to remove it, put the drain back together and run water to see if the question was solved.

Plumbing Basics in the Bathroom

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