How much do you really know about your home’s plumbing? If you do, do you wish to improve upon it? How much skill do you have? If you cannot answer these questions confidently, look at the tips below.
Obnoxiously loud pipes that like to squeal and hammer are easy situations to correct. You must anchor all exposed pipes. Enlisting the aid of a professional may be necessary if any of the pipes are located in the floors, walls, or ceiling.
To eliminate the possibility of having frozen pipes, maintain a constant temperature in your home above freezing, and be certain to adequately insulate those pipes that are out in the weather. If the temperature surrounding these pipes is below the freezing point, your pipes could freeze. In the best case scenario, you will have to wait until they thaw so that the water runs again. However, they could burst, and that could make a mess and result in a big repair bill.
Don’t pay the entire plumbing bill upfront; wait until the plumber finishes the plumbing job. Sometimes it is required to put a little money down before the job starts, but don’t ever pay the whole amount before you know the task is done correctly. You will feel better paying the bill when you are completely satisfied with the job.
Knowing your tools and how to use them can help greatly in your plumbing experience. Read every manual, and use the Internet and library to research the projects that you plan on doing. Have a sound plan going into any do it yourself repair attempt, since mistakes will cost you dearly in money, time and stress.
If a plunger is ineffective, you might be able to do the trick with a bucket of warm water. The water needs to be at a low level again in order to repeat the process.
If your garbage disposal stops working, never try to fix it by reaching down with your hands. Even when in the off position, garbage disposals are dangerous. Hire a professional, or at least find your owner’s manual to look at a diagram of the disposal. Many owner’s manuals are available online, and may even contain interactive troubleshooters.
Check for floor damage around your toilet. If the floor around your toilet feels softer than the rest of the floor in your bathroom, there’s damage you need to address. Another great way to check is to actually sit on the toilet and move in a rocking motion, going back and forth from right to left to see how much give you feel. This will save you a lot of trouble and money if you find the issue before something horrible happens.
Use a strainer over your sink drain to catch food and other bits of material. Otherwise, you will likely get a clogged drain. Your kitchen sink strainer needs cleaning every time something big gets stuck in it. Kitchen filters should be changed often, while bathtub filters can be changed as needed.
Garbage Disposal
Keep your garbage disposal clean to make sure it lasts for awhile. Cleaning can be done with a variety of things you may already have in your home, such as dish-washing soap, the rinds of lemons, or the pits of cherries. When you create a regular cleaning schedule, you can make sure your garbage disposal runs in tip-top shape and smells fresh and like new.
Try to have all your plumbing repairs done at once. Do not call a plumber for minor issues. You can save money by waiting to have everything fixed at the same time. Most plumbers charge an hourly fee that can be minimized if there is only one visit to your home.
It is very important to to use lots of cold water when running your garbage disposal. Blades will stay sharper with cold water, making disposal quicker. If you use hot water instead of cold, it will turn any fat into liquid and cause the fat to clog your pipes when it later cools and solidifies.
Save money by getting better shower heads. Hot water usage is mostly 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 have to take out the clean out plug and cannot do it, you can do it this two ways. First, the clean-out fitting can be loosened with a hammer and chisel. The only other alternative is to chisel through the plug.
If you need to hire a plumber, make sure you check them out before you give them the job. Some plumbers are simply not skilled or experienced enough to handle certain jobs, and they could even make your problem worse. Check the reviews on any plumber you are considering, and ask friends and family for the name of a plumber that they use and trust.
Check to see if you have toilet leaks. Try dropping a little food coloring in the tank. If colored water appears in the toilet bowl, this means your toilet is leaking.
Have you gained more knowledge about plumbing? Are you able to better conceptualize the plumbing systems installed in your home? Do you have more skills? Are you now able to utilize things that can apply to your home system? Can you properly operate the equipment? Hopefully, these tips created better answers to these questions.