Having good working plumbing is very important to having a safe and healthy home. This article lays out some effective tips for helping you maintain and fix your home plumbing.
You should clean your septic tank every five years! Having it cleaned out prevents the sediment from accumulating in the septic tank and creating a sewage backup in your house or triggering the meltdown of the entire septic system. In this case, the cost of prevention definitely outweighs having your septic backing up into your house or failing.
If your toilet is clogged, and the plunger is not working, and your water level inside of the toilet appears low, you can sometimes fix the problem by dumping warm water into your toilet at waist level (or maybe even a little higher). Do this as often as necessary if the water level gets too low.
Avoid putting grease, fat, and grease in your drain. This is primarily true if you are someone who has a garbage disposals because the fats will make the blades go slower and less freely. Make certain you dispose of all oils away from the sink.
Pass on seemingly convenient cleaning products like bleach tablets and blue toilet tabs. These products will reduce the smell, but they will also cause problems with the rubber gaskets. Over time, the damage will accumulate and could eventually stop the toilet from functioning at all.
If you notice orange or pink stains in your bathroom fixtures, then you can be sure that the culprit is iron in your water. You can deal with use by using a water softener, which you could purchase at a local store, or by hiring a professional to come out.
By having a regular cleaning routine, lemon rinds, dish soap and even pits from a cherry, you can keep your disposal running smoothly and smelling as fresh as the day it was installed.
To keep your garbage disposal lasting for a long time, make sure you clean it on a daily basis. Using lemon rinds and cherry pits mixed with dish soap will help keep your garbage disposal operating efficiently and smelling fresh.
Schedule your plumbing work at the same time. You may be tempted to call a professional plumber if you have any minor issues, but kicking the can on some issues until you have a list means you can save a few bucks. Most plumbers have an hourly fee that can be minimized if there is only one trip is cheaper than calling them more than once.
Kitchen Sink
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. Cover with a rag or plug, as a chemical reaction will occur in the pipes. Wait for a bit, then flush with boiling water. Doing this periodically should keep your pipes free of hair and soap scum.
If you notice water draining into your dishwasher, it’s probably due to the kitchen sink’s hose being improperly installed. The hose connecting the kitchen sink and the dishwasher has to go upward before going back down so that there is no mixing between fixtures.
Don’t flush anything that is unlikely to dissolve and wind up clogging pipes, sanitary napkins, diapers or cotton balls, because these items don’t break down and may cause clogging issues.
If you are using a slower head, see to it that you replace it with one that has good quality. People try to save money by buying the least expensive shower head that is out there. These types of fixtures are prone to breakage and are much less sturdy.
Be sure to check your dryer and clear your lint trap is clean. This will ensure that your dryer to work better and may also prevent fires. Be sure to check the trap for tears and rips, which can cause clogs and issues.
Drain Cleaners
It is important to check the background of any plumbers you are looking at hiring, and get referrals if possible. Some plumbers are simply not skilled or experienced enough to handle certain jobs, and they could even make your problem worse. Check reviews, and ask your friends and family for recommendations.
Try to avoid the use of dry cleaners if you can. Drain cleaners are composed of extremely corrosive chemicals that can damage pipes with frequent use. Rather than using drain cleaners, hire a professional to look at your clogged drain.
Check your toilet leaks. An easy way to determine this is to add a couple drops of food coloring in the toilet tank. Watch your toilet bowl closely, if you see some colored water, you definitely have a leak that will need to be fixed.
If sewage is backed up in your toilet, it’s most likely the result of a sever blockage of the branch line that connects the sewage line and main line. When your personal efforts can’t deal with such a clog, your only option is to have the line snaked out by a professional plumber.
Valves that are not used tend to fuse together. You have to turn them often to avoid sticking, and running water through them on a regular basis.
You should verify that they hold a valid and look over any bad feedback filed against them. If they don’t have a current license, you don’t want to hire that contractor.
A lot of people dread plumbing incidents, as they believe that even a single incident could cause tens of thousands of dollars in damage. This can happen, but it doesn’t have to if you know one key piece of information. You can save your home from any water damage by learning where your water register is, and how to quickly shut it off.
As you can see, there are many tips and tricks that you can use to fix the plumbing in your home. If you use the tips you’ve read here, you’ll be able to solve any emergency and even install your own plumbing for new fixtures without the aid of a professional!