Having good plumbing is an important to having a safe and healthy home. This article provides some fantastic tips for helping you maintain and fix your home plumbing.
If you have a frozen pipe, turn on the nearest faucet so the water has an escape route when the pipe starts to thaw. This relieves the pressure contained in the pipe as it also prevents it from bursting, which would reduce the damage done to your house.
To eliminate the possibility of having frozen pipes, insulate all exterior pipes and be sure to keep your interior house temperature above freezing, even if the house is vacant. Your plumbing can freeze if the air around it is below freezing. It may take time to thaw so that you can have water again. However, frozen pipes commonly break or crack pipes, causing damage to your home and a hefty repair bill.
If a pipe freezes, have the tap closest to it turned on so the water can exit while the pipe thaws. This will help relieve pressure in pipes to prevent them from bursting, and can keep them from bursting.
Stay away from bleach tablets, blue tablets for the toilet and other toilet odor removers. These products can be great when it comes to getting rid of odors, but unfortunately, they can cause significant damage to the rubber portions of your toilet. This can lead to it breaking down or having other issues.
Knowing what tools and how to use them can help greatly in your plumbing experience. Be sure to plan before starting a repair, it could very expensive to fix the mistake.
Garbage Disposal
If you aren’t having any luck using a plunger on a clogged toilet, you may want to try pouring warm water into it from waist high. If one attempt doesn’t solve the problem, you can do it again once the water level stabilizes.
Never put your bare hands to try fixing your garbage disposal to fix a problem. Even when the garbage disposal presents significant danger. You can look online to find the diagram for your garbage disposal.
Use strainers on all drains to prevent debris from clogging drains. The ones in the bathroom can be cleaned out on a regular basis.
Never reach into a garbage disposal that you think isn’t working. Garbage disposals always pose a possible threat, even when powered off or non-working all together. Look for a diagram of the garbage disposal you have on the Internet.
By regularly incorporating a routine using a combination of dish soap, which includes a combination of lemon rinds, and even cherry pits, you can keep your disposal running smoothly and smelling as fresh as the day it was installed.
Schedule your plumbing work at the same time. You might be tempted to contact a plumber every time you face a small problem, but if you have problems repaired all at once, you can save up money for repairs.Most plumbers have an hourly fee that can be minimized if there is only one trip is cheaper than calling them more than once.
Frequently inspect the floors around toilets for softness; this can tell you whether or not the floors are damaged. Stand above the toilet with a foot positioned on each side up close to the base. Shift your weight back and forth to detect any weakness or sponginess. 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.
Pour equal parts baking soda and vinegar down your bathtub drain once a month. Plug the opening or cover it with a cloth while the chemical reaction to occur. Wait for a bit, and then pour boiling water down the drain. This should open up the pipes of hair build-up and soap scum.
Overflow Holes
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. A water softener will take care of the issue. This can either be done by yourself, or you can hire a professional to come and take care of.
Ensure that your overflow holes are clear. Clear overflow holes periodically when doing your periodic checks for problems and plumbing issues that should be addressed.
Always use cold water running when you are using your garbage disposal is running. Cold water will allow for the food particles to be properly disposed of while keeping the blades sharp and encourage a smoother disposal.
You should make sure that the holes are not stopped up on the overflow. Overflow holes are one of those things which you forget about until you need them. Periodically clear out the overflow holes when doing your other checks for things that may need repaired.
Don’t flush anything that is unlikely to dissolve and wind up clogging pipes, sanitary napkins, tissues, paper towels and cotton balls.
Enzyme Based
It is important to always run cold water while using your garbage disposal. The cold water keeps your blades sharp, which helps your disposal run smooth. Grease will stay solid and go through your drain with cold water; you don’t want gooey grease in your pipes.
Use enzyme based if you want to clean clogged pipes. These cleaners have natural bacteria in them, which turns sludge into liquid and cleans your pipes. Enzyme based cleaners are not corrosive so they won’t erode your pipes.
The key towards maintaining low plumbing bills is prevention. Clogs are one of the main reasons for needing a plumber. Drains are easily get clogged by hair. It’s a lot simpler to eliminate hair out of a screen than to pull it from a pipe.
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 going from the dishwasher to the sink must go downhill, and then uphill, to prevent water mixing from the two devices.
Clean the aerator to fix low pressure issues which result from sediment build up. Take the aerator off, pull it apart, and brush it clean with a little vinegar.
Drain Cleaners
Don’t throw trash down your toilet. Doing so can clog the drain and cause plumbing problems. Do not flush sanitary pads, paper towels, cotton balls, tissues, diapers or other materials, as these items do not dissolve and could cause clogs. Also, try to use the smallest amount of toilet paper you can.
Try to avoid the use drain cleaners if you can. Drain cleaners use abrasive chemicals which can destroy your pipes if used too often. If you find that your drain is clogged, hire a pro to figure out the problem.
There are two ways to get a clean out plugs. The first approach to use is taking a hammer and chisel to loosen the fitting. Your only other option to try is to chisel through the actual plug itself.
If you wish to use a pipe cleaner to clear out your clogged pipes, look for one that is enzyme-based. Enzyme based cleaners work by using natural bacteria that turns the sludge clogged in your pipes into a liquid, allowing it to flow down the drain with ease. Cleaners containing enzymes are some of the best you can buy.
You can fix your plumbing with the many hints from this article. Apply what you have learned here, and build on that knowledge. You will find new confidence in being able to fix plumbing problems without having the expense of a professional plumber.