Knowing what you are doing is essential if you plan on undertaking any plumbing projects in your home. Beside natural disasters, not many other things can cause more destruction to a home than a serious problem with plumbing. Luckily, homeowners have a lot of ways to avoid plumbing issues and ways to minimize the effects of those issues when they happen.
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. Pipes will begin to freeze as soon as they reach freezing temperatures. It takes time for thawing to occur so you can have water again. In the worst case, the pipes would burst, and you would be stuck with costly repairs and a very messy cleanup procedure.
Never use your bare hands to try fixing your garbage disposal. Even when they are turned off, disposals can be very dangerous. Locate your garbage disposal manual, or do an Internet search for troubleshooting advice and a diagram that illustrates your model.
The areas of floor around your toilets are particularly susceptible to water damage; here’s how you can check them. Straddle your toilet by rocking it from foot to foot to see if there’s any weakening or softness on the floor below you. Picking up on any problems now will definitely work to save you money later. It’s the difference in a little maintenance and total floor replacement.
Use filters on all drains to prevent debris that might clog the pipes from getting through. The strainer used in the kitchen will need to be cleaned frequently. Bathtub drains should be cleaned regularly as well.
If your home uses well water and orange or pink stains become noticeable in your bathtub or in other fixtures, this occurs when the water has too much iron. A water softener can filter out unnecessary minerals, and leave you with clean, usable water.
Each month, treat your drains by pouring one cup of baking soda down it, and then follow that with a cup of regular white vinegar. Plug up the drain and allow the chemical reaction to occur. Wait a while, then flush it with boiling water. This procedure should clear the pipes of soap scum and accumulated hair.
Overflow Holes
Do special checks on your sink overflow holes to ensure they are not becoming clogged. Overflow holes drain sink that fill too full and may go unnoticed until they are needed. Clean the overflow holes when you can, like when doing periodic checks for various other repairs and problems.
Prevention is necessary when you want to keep plumbing bills down. Clogs can be a major cause of plumbing problems. Too much hair will clog a drain. Screens and drain covers are great ways to stop hair from going down your drains. It is easier to take hair off a screen than to clear it from a pipe.
There’s no reason to run water while running your garbage disposal. It is assumed that food will go down more smoothly if the water is running, though in reality that does nothing good. In fact, it could cause garbage to stick to your disposal, which can create more damage.
If you have to take out a clean-out plug but you aren’t having any success, two ways can assist you in doing this. First, the clean-out fitting can be loosened with a hammer and chisel. If that fails, you will have to cut completely through the plug.
The actual individual plumber coming out to your home might not be something you have a say in, but that does not mean you can’t look them up online. Though your insurer may determine the plumbing company that will work on your house, you still have the ability to look them up, read customer reviews and prepare for their visit.
If you need a good plumber, make sure you check out their reviews. Some plumbers are not trained to take on certain tasks, and can end up making your problem much 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.
Before hiring a contractor for plumbing or other jobs, make sure you look into their records through the Department of Consumer Affairs. These departments offer current information on licensing status and open complaints cases. If a contractor’s license has expired or isn’t in good standing, you don’t want to hire that contractor.
Education and prevention are often the keys when it comes to avoiding plumbing-related problems. A homeowner is likely to make good decisions and avoid plumbing disasters if he bothers to learn some things about the subject. A homeowner who knows something about plumbing can often fix issues before they become major crises.