When you have to start repairing and maintaining your plumbing, you might wonder where to start. There are a lot of things to think about after all, from buying tools and equipment to following directions and local regulations. The advice given to you can help you improve your plumbing skills.
Obnoxiously loud pipes that like to squeal and hammer are easy situations to correct. Those pipes will need to be anchored if they are exposed. If the pipes are in the walls, floors or ceiling, you may want to call a professional to come and help complete the project.
Keep your plumbing flowing by maintaining a temperature above 32 degrees and wrapping up any exposed pipe works. Obviously, frozen pipes occur due to freezing environmental conditions. In the best case scenario, you will have to wait until they thaw so that the water runs again. But, they could also burst, causing a mess and a large repair bill.
You never want to pay for a job until it is complete, and this goes for a plumber as well. You may need to pay some money in the beginning, though you should not pay the full cost until you can be certain that the job was done correctly. Knowing that the plumber performed all services, as promised, can be good for your peace of mind and your wallet.
Toilet discs and odor removers should never be used in your toilet. These things may help improve smells, but they can damage the rubber components of a toiler, which can cause it to function improperly or even worse, completely break down.
If you aren’t having any luck using a plunger on a clogged toilet, you may want to try pouring warm water into it from waist high. Once the water is lower, do this again.
You should put a strainer over your drains to catch anything that could clog your drain up. Thoroughly clean the strainer on a regular basis. Bathtub drains should be cleaned regularly as well.
Don’t put things like fat, oil or grease down your drains. When they cool down, they get hard and that will cause clogs in your sink drains. A garbage disposal can even become clogged by hardened grease and it will not run at optimum speed and efficiency. To keep your drain running efficiently, dispose of fats and oils in other ways besides pouring them down the drain.
When running your garbage disposal, always use a lot of cold water. Cold water keeps the blades sharpened, giving you optimal performance whenever it is used. If you use hot water, any grease that is in the disposal will turn to liquid, and sit inside of the drain, which can clog your pipes.
If you notice water draining into your dishwasher, check how the kitchen sink hoses are installed. The hose must lead uphill then back downhill to prevent the combining of water from each device.
Avoid using drain cleaners as much as possible. The chemicals in these type of cleaners are corrosive, and they could damage your pipes by using them too much. Instead, if you find your drain is blocked up, look at hiring a professional to come out and look at it to see what the problem is.
Main water cut off valve is a very important piece of information you should be aware of, and you should know exactly where it is. The cut-off valve will generally be close to the water meter. Toilets, sinks and some other fixtures can have cut off valves of their own. You will want to make your family aware of the location of each valve, and add markings that give directions on how to shut each one off whenever an emergency arises.
You should be very careful when choosing drain cleaners. Some of them contain strong chemical agents that will damage your pipes. Choose a product advertised as being gentle on pipes. Note that some of the chemicals that you use will kill helpful bacteria that is needed by your plumbing system so it can functions properly. These chemicals can be harmful to people in your household, as well.
Drain Stack
If your washing machine’s drain stack overflows, use a standard snake to fix it. Sometimes lint can clog your drain stack, causing it to get backed up and overflow.
If you’re needing plumbing fixtures, consider getting brass ones. Brass fixtures last much longer and tend to be more durable. Brass fixtures are also much better looking than some of the other fixture options. You will be able to find these in any type of home repair store.
There are a lot of amateur plumbers around. A professional plumber is smart to hire an apprentice. On top of giving you a cheap labor source, it allows you to pass on your skills to future generations.
If your home has copper pipes, they could expand a little when hot water runs through them. This can often times lead to the pipes becoming warped, and not fitting tightly inside the pipe hangers, due to grinding. To help reduce this wear, wrap a piece of pipe tape on the pipe and put it back inside the hanger.
As you’ve seen, plumbing is not that complicated. There are just certain aspects of plumbing a person needs to know. All you need are some tools, patience, curiosity, and no fear of manual labor. Use these skills in tandem with the information you learned here, and you will have the job finished in no time.