Often, the plumbing in a house starts malfunctioning soon after you move in. The bathroom and kitchen are the most frequent sites for these problems. In reality, at some point each homeowner deals with a plumbing problem at some point. This article contains some information to help when that situation occurs.
Don’t be tempted to use commercial bleach tablets, blue toilet tablets or any other product that claims to prevent toilet odor. Either kind of toilet tablet might break down obnoxious smells in your toilet, but they might also break down the rubber parts, resulting in malfunction.
Make sure there is a strainer covering all drains in order to collect particles that would cause a clog if they went down the drain. You should clean your kitchen sink’s strainer every time there is a large particle that’s trapped in it. The bathtub strainer will prevent hair from clogging up your drain.
If your house uses well water and you start to see orange or pink stains in your tub and other water fixtures, you have too much iron in your water. You should purchase a water softener to use, or ask a local business to make a visit to your residence and resolve the issue for you.
Pour baking soda and vinegar down your bathtub drain every month. Cover it with a plug or rag, since a chemical reaction should happen in the pipes. After about 10 minutes you can flush the pipes out with boiling water. Doing this will clear your pipes of any soap scum or hair that has accumulated.
Overflow Holes
Be sure that the overflow holes are free of debris. Overflow holes are one of those things which you forget about until you need them. When you do periodic checks for any other problems or repairs that are needed, take the time to clear the holes that are there to protect you from overflow.
One easy way to save on energy and water is to install efficiency-oriented shower heads. Most of your water bills comes from the water you use to shower. By installing shower heads that are energy-efficient, you can save over a hundred bucks or more per every shower head in the home.
Should you spot unexpected water draining inside the dishwasher, you will probably need to check that the hose from the kitchen sink has been installed correctly. Your hose must run in a hill pattern to avoid water mixing. Think of the St. Louis Arch — start from your sink, go uphill with the hose, and then down before connecting to the dishwasher. This way, only pressurized water can travel through the hose. Leakage won’t be an issue.
Toilet Tissue
Don’t use your toilet as a trash can in order to avoid problems. Nothing should be flushed down the toilet except human waste and toilet tissue. Flushing sanitary napkins, diapers, disposable napkins, and other materials is a sure recipe for a clogged drain and a backed-up toilet. Try to minimize the amount of toilet tissue that gets flushed, too – but don’t neglect basic hygiene!
Choose enzyme based cleaners if your pipes get clogged. The natural enzymes in these cleaners dissolve the clog, turning it into liquid, freeing it from the pipes. The enzyme cleaners typically are the best things you can find on the market.
Don’t run the water while putting food through your garbage disposal. It is a common misconception that running water simultaneously is a good idea, but that is not really the case. It could even cause food to stick to the blades of the disposal, creating damage.
As the cold winter weather approaches, make sure that your outside faucets are not leaking or dripping. If you find dripping or leaking, make the repairs before the temperature plummets. Regardless of whether you have steel, plastic or copper pipes, the water in them expands when it freezes and will make the pipes crack. Even a hairline crack can make enough water leak to cause a major flood in your home.
Those valves that rarely get used have a way of fusing together. Maintain them with penetrating oil, and turn them every so often to keep them from sticking.
Good plumbers do work far beyond unclogging drains. A more common job for a plumber is fixing broken water lines.
Get a hot water tank that is adapted to your needs to improve your water heater efficiency. If you know how many people are in the home and how many appliances use hot water, you will have a good idea of what size tank is appropriate.
When looking at new fixtures for your plumbing, look at the option of purchasing ones made of brass. Brass tends to be much more durable than other materials in plumbing, so you will not need to replace the fixtures as frequently. Brass fixtures look a lot nicer than many of the other types of plumbing fixtures that you can purchase. They can be purchased in any home improvement store.
If you plumb professionally, consider hiring an apprentice to work under you, since there are always plenty of up and coming plumbers looking for work. Not only will you be able to get cheaper labor done, you will also be teaching a beginner everything they need to know to be successful.
When plumbing issues come up, you need to be prepared. Anyone that owns a home should also know a little bit about plumbing. If you do have a plumbing problem in the future, the pointers you learned in this article will help you to deal with it.