When you have to do your own plumbing jobs, you may not know which tools, what to consider, what equipment to buy and what rules to follow. The helpful tips laid out here can help you the information you need in order to be a smarter plumber.
If your water pipe freezes, switch on the nearest faucet tap to that pipe so that water can exit when the pipe thaws. This helps to relieve the pressure in the pipe and may prevent bursting, which can prevent further damage to your home.
Noisy pipes is an easy problem to fix. You will need to anchor any type of exposed pipe.
Septic Tank
If your garbage disposal stops working, never try to fix it by reaching down with your hands. Garbage disposals always pose a possible threat, even when powered off or non-working all together. Try to find a diagram, or troubleshooting guide for your particular disposal on the Internet.
Have your septic tank cleaned every five years to keep it working well. Although it is somewhat of an expense to pump out a septic tank, cleaning up sewage backup in your home will ultimately cost much more.
Knowing what tools and how to use them can help greatly in your plumbing experience. Before undertaking repairs on your own, plan ahead, or you may make a costly mistake.
Keep your bathtub in good shape by using a cup of baking soda and a cup of vinegar down its drain monthly. Plug the drain afterwards or cover it with a washcloth, as the two chemicals are going to react with each other. After a few minutes,just flush the drain out with water that has reached a boiling point. Although this is useful for clearing away simple clogs made of hair and soap debris, it will not work for serious blockages.
Never put your hands in your garbage disposal. Even an un-powered garbage disposal is turned off they can be dangerous.You can search online to find the diagram for your garbage disposal.
Pour baking soda and vinegar down your bathtub drain once a month. Plug the opening or cover it with a cloth while the chemical reaction to occur. After waiting a few minutes,just flush the drain out with water that has reached a boiling point. This should help clear pipes of accumulated hair and soap scum.
Do not use your toilet to get rid of garbage. Don’t flush anything that is unlikely to dissolve and wind up clogging pipes, such as diapers, tissues, paper towels and cotton balls. You will also want to use the least amount of toilet paper as required.
Overflow Holes
Check overflow holes are not clogged up. Clear overflow holes periodically when you are doing your periodic checks for problems and things that should be addressed.
Frozen pipes can cause you to incur expensive plumbing repair bills. Fortunately, frozen pipes are easy to prevent. The most important step is to keep any pipes close to the outside, well insulated. Before winter, drain your hoses and disconnect your outdoor faucets. Doing this can help save a lot of plumbing repair bills.
Installing shower heads could save you a lot of money when it comes to your energy bill. Most households use a lot of the hot water is used in the shower. By installing shower heads that are energy-efficient, you could save at least $100 a year per person who showers in your house.
Don’t flush anything that is unlikely to dissolve and wind up clogging pipes, sanitary napkins, diapers or cotton balls, paper towels and cotton balls.
If you have grout in your water line, you shouldn’t try cleaning it yourself because it will be pointless. Do your best to break it up and flush it down. This works better with plastic than metal pipes. However, this will most likely require a professional to do the job.
Some people think it’s alright to get away with the cheapest version at the store. The disadvantage to doing so is that they are not highly durable and easily break.
Use a cleaner that is enzyme based cleaners when cleaning clogged pipes.These cleaners use natural bacteria to turn the sludge into a liquid, and be removed from your pipes. Enzyme cleaners are not damage your metal pipes.
If you have to take out the clean out plug and cannot do it, you can do it this two ways. The first method is by using a chisel and hammer to try to loosen the fitting. The only other thing you can do is chisel through it.
Lint Trap
Be sure to check your dryer and clear your lint trap is clean. This will ensure that your dryer to work better and prevents fires. Be sure you inspect your lint trap for tears or holes that could mean lint is going into your pipes, because this can cause bigger problems as it may mean that lint is escaping into your pipes.
If you need a good plumber, make sure you check out their reviews. Some of the plumbers out there can not do every job, and they may end up causing you more problems than you started with. Search for reviews of plumbers, or ask friends or family members to recommend a competent plumber.
As you’ve seen, plumbing can seem intimidating, but it isn’t so tough. You need to learn the basics, however. Just focus and start somewhere, this is all it takes, when you do your research apply common sense into the mix and you should have no problem tackling an easy job.