Tag: savvy homeowner

Pipe Dreams And Plumbing Tricks For Your Water

TIP! Noisy pipes that make squeaking or hammering sounds are an easy problem to fix. Exposed pipes need to be anchored.

Water may be needed to live, though it can be the cause of frustration for anyone that is dealing with a plumbing issue. Beside natural disasters, not many other things can cause more destruction to a home than a serious problem with plumbing. Thankfully, it doesn’t take expert knowledge to repair a problem and keep your plumbing system well maintained so that future issues are prevented.

Avoid Paying

TIP! Cleaning your in-sink garbage disposal can extend its lifetime significantly. By regularly using a mixture of dish soap, cherry pits and citrus rinds, you can ensure that your disposal runs smoothly and smells as fresh as one that is brand new.

Avoid paying the plumber until he finishes the job. Sometimes plumbers will request a cash deposit before any work can commence; however, you avoid paying the total bill until the whole job has been finished to your satisfaction. Agree with the plumber in advance on the job and payment.

TIP! Ensure your overflow holes aren’t clogged up. Overflow holes catch the excess water from an overflowing sink.

If a plumbing project is in your future, know two things: what tools you have, and how you are supposed to use them. Be sure you read everything you can from the manuals, and use different things like the library and internet to learn all the projects that are do it yourself. You need to conduct research before attempting a repair, because it could be expensive to correct an error.

TIP! Flush your drain with a constant stream of cold water when operating your drain mounted disposal unit. Cold water helps the blades stay sharp and keeps the disposal running smoothly.

Ensure that if something goes wrong in your garbage disposal that you resist any and all urges you have that might make you want to put your hands inside to fix a problem. Your garbage disposal is a dangerous device, even when turned off. Research on the Internet for diagrams, troubleshooters or FAQ’s about your disposal.

TIP! Using your toilet as a garbage disposal is sure to cause problems! Never flush paper towels, tissue, diapers, or tampons. These things do not break up correctly and can clog your pipes.

You should put a strainer over your drains to catch anything that could clog your drain up. 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.

TIP! Enzyme-based products are often superior to other options when your drains are clogged. These cleaners turn the sludge into a liquid using natural bacteria, and then the liquid flows out of the pipes.

Don’t put things like fat, oil or grease down your drains. When they cool, they will harden and create clogs in your drains. If the sink has a garbage disposal, it will also make the blades less efficient. Throw away oils nowhere near the sink.

TIP! One costly plumbing repair is frozen pipes. Fortunately, it is usually relatively easy to prevent your pipes from freezing.

If you live in a home using well water and your bathtubs have stains pink and orange in color, this is likely a result of iron levels in the well water. This is fixed by using water softener, which can be bought at a store, or you can have someone come to your home and fix it.

TIP! Clean the aerator to fix low pressure problems in case you have sediment buildups. Take the aerator apart and clean it with a brush and some vinegar.

Use lots of cold water when you run your garbage disposal. Cold water keeps blades sharp and encourage a smoother disposal. Hot water can clog your drain by allowing liquid grease to build up in it.

Kitchen Sink

TIP! While you may not be able to choose which plumber is assigned to your job, you can still look the person up online. If your insurance company has just scheduled someone for you, checking out their website and customer feedback and reviews still gives the ability to be ready for them comfortably when they arrive.

If there is unwanted water draining into the dishwasher, it is most likely because of the hose to the kitchen sink being installed improperly. The hose between the kitchen sink and the dishwasher has to have a peak in the middle so that the water can’t wash back in the wrong direction.

TIP! Always thoroughly check out plumbers before you decide to use their services. A plumber with bad credentials might not be experienced enough to fix your problem.

If you need to replace your shower head, make sure that you buy a new one that is high quality. People often times incorrectly believe that it’s alright to buy a cheap shower head. Cheap shower heads are not well-made and are very likely to break. Buying a cheap shower head will end up costing you more money over the long-term.

TIP! Make it a habit to run your rarely used valves on a regular basis to avoid plumbing problems. You can use penetrating oil to maintain them and turn the valves every once in a while so that they do not stick.

The best way to avoid plumbing bills is to prevent problems before they happen. One of the major repairs is clogs. Drains can be clogged by hair. Put a drain cover or a screen that is made to protect drains over your drain so that hair cannot get in. You can remove hair much easier from a screen as opposed to getting it out of the inside of a pipe.

TIP! Be very careful when you are selecting drain cleaners. It is possible that your pipes may be damaged with the wrong type of cleaner.

Trying to clean grout caught in a line by yourself is fruitless. You could try to break up all the grout to send it down further. This works best if your pipes are plastic rather than metal. However, ultimately it usually requires a professional to rid you of this problem.

Drain Cleaners

TIP! If you are upgrading your old plumbing fixtures, strongly consider getting brass fixtures. For starters, brass fixtures are much more durable and last longer.

If possible, try not to use drain cleaners. Compounds that are ingredients in common drain cleaners are quite corrosive and can cause pipe damage if overused. Rather than using cleaners, hire a professional to look at your clogged drain.

TIP! A lot of people try to be plumbers without formal training, so if your profession is in plumbing, consider hiring an apprentice. An apprentice can take a lot of pressure off, and help your business earn more money.

Sometimes, you will be forced to use a certain plumber, but that doesn’t mean that looking him up on Angie’s List or a similar site isn’t a good idea. Your insurance company may schedule a plumber for you, but you can still prepare for them by looking at their website and checking out customer reviews and feedback.

TIP! Food items such as carrots, banana peels, chunks of chicken or pieces of pumpkin are very difficult items for the garbage disposal blades to chop, and they can become tangled or caught and clog up the drain. Be sure to dispose of these hard-to-grind materials first, throwing them in the garbage can, before placing other food in the garbage disposal.

Take advantage of the information that you can obtain from the department or division of your state government that handles consumer affairs and protection when you are thinking of hiring a plumbing contractor. You should verify that they hold a valid licence and look over any bad feedback filed against them. If a contractor’s license has expired or isn’t in good standing, you don’t want to hire that contractor.

TIP! Copper pipes will expand when hot water runs through them. When this happens, the pipes will not fit into the pipe hangers, and will end up grinding against them.

It’s common for people to have bad dreams about plumbing, as they fear one little mistake could be enough to severely damage their home. Know where your main water valve is to avoid flooding in case of serious plumbing issues. You can save your home from any water damage by learning where your water register is, and how to quickly shut it off.

Savvy Homeowner

TIP! Consider adding flood alarms to your home’s plumbing. A flood alarm operates in the same manner as a smoke alarm.

Being knowledgeable and prepared are the best ways to avoid plumbing issues. The savvy homeowner who takes the time to learn even a little about plumbing is better able to make good decisions while avoiding plumbing situations that could become dangerous. Also, that savvy homeowner who researches everything and prepares for undertaking a plumbing issue before it really begins is better able to repair the problem more quickly and easily.