Plumbing difficulties can be a huge problem for homeowners. If you hire a professional plumber you are looking at a wait time and pretty costly repairs, most likely for something that can easily be solved on your own. Keep reading to arm yourself with some very useful plumbing advice!
Frozen Pipes
To prevent frozen pipes, always keep the living spaces in your house above freezing, even if you aren’t home. Any exposed pipes need to be insulated against the outdoor temperatures. It is easy for pipes to freeze whenever the mean temperature near the pipes drop below freezing. In the best case scenario, you will have to wait until they thaw so that the water runs again. However, frozen pipes commonly break or crack pipes, leading to flooding and costly repairs.
Don’t give a plumber the total bill payment upfront; pay them only when they have finished the job. You might have to put money down initially before the plumber begins the job. However, do not pay everything up front; instead, only pay once the job is successfully completed. If you pay everything up front, you have no recourse if the plumber doesn’t finish the job or doesn’t do it correctly.
Don’t use bleach tablets, odor removers or those blue tablets in your toilet. While they may be effective deodorizers, they can damage rubber parts in your toilet. If they become too damaged, your toilet will not operate properly.
You can resolve most toilet clogs yourself. Try a plunger first. If plunging the toilet doesn’t seem to clear up a clog, check the toilet’s water level. If it’s too low, try filling a bucket with warm water. Open the toilet’s tank, and pour the water in. Once the water level gets low again, repeat the process.
Don’t pour cooking grease, leftover frying fat or any oils down your sink drain. These substances will create clogs after cooling in your drain. This is primarily true if you are someone who has a garbage disposal; the fats will make the blades go slower and less freely. The best thing to do is to dispose of oil-based liquids away from your sinks.
If your home has a well for water and there are pink or orange stains in the sinks and tubs, this could be due to high iron content 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.
To keep your garbage disposal working at its best, use plenty of cold water when you turn it on. The cold water will help keep the blades nice and sharp and will allow for a much smoother disposal. When you use hot water, any grease that is in the garbage will melt and be more prone to stopping up your drain.
Fficient Shower
To save a significant amount of cash on your energy bill, install energy-efficient shower heads in all of your showers. Most households use a lot of hot water in the shower. When you install an energy-efficient shower head, you will reduce your home’s water consumption, which means money left in your pocket.
If you don’t want to spend a lot on repairing plumbing problems, learn to prevent problems before they occur. One of the major repairs is clogs. Drains easily get clogged by hair. You can prevent this from occurring by using a drain cover or a screen that is meant to keep the hair out of the drain and pipes. You can easily clean out the drain covers on a regular basis; it’s harder to remove hair from drains once it’s fallen into them.
An expensive plumbing issue to pay for repairs is when your pipes freeze. Fortunately, it’s usually an avoidable problem. Start by insulating the outside pipes fully. When it is cold outside make sure you bring in your hoses or at least drain them. A bit of prevention prevents a costly plumbing bill.
Garbage Disposal
Don’t turn on your sink while using your garbage disposal. Water will not make your garbage disposal run smoothly. This could actually make the garbage more sticky and cause more issues.
Be very careful when you are selecting drain cleaners. It is possible that your pipes may be damaged with the wrong type of cleaner. Ensure you’re choosing a brand advertised as being a gentle one for your pipes. Not all chemical cleaners are good for your pipes–or for you. Some chemicals are toxic to humans. In addition, if a cleaner attacks bacteria indiscriminately, it may destroy helpful bacteria that keep the plumbing system running smoothly.
As you can see, plumbing problems don’t have to be so difficult. If you can solve the problem yourself, you can save time waiting for a plumber, as well as saving a whole lot of money. Try applying what you’ve learned from this article next time you have a plumbing problem!