Water is the source of life, but it can also be a nemesis to the frustrated homeowner dealing with plumbing problems. There are not many things more devastating to a home’s structure than to leave a major plumbing problem.
Avoid septic tank problems by having your tank pumped out in five year intervals. This will prevent sediment from piling up in your tank, which could cause it to overflow into your home and yard, or even cause the entire septic system to fail. It may be a bit expensive to pump a septic tank, but it will be very expensive to clean up an emergency sewage problem.
Have a professional flush your septic tank every five years or so to keep it in prime condition. Although it is somewhat of an expense to pump out a septic tank, it will cost a lot more having to clean sewage backup or having to fix or replace a septic tank.
Never reach into your garbage disposal with bare hands, even if there is a serious problem with it. Even when they are turned off, disposals can be very dangerous. It’s advised to obtain a diagram, possibly off of the Internet, that depicts your machine in accurate detail.
Do not pay anything until they finish the job.You may need to pay some money in the beginning, but do not give them the entire sum of money until you are sure they have done a good job. You want to make sure that the plumber completed everything that they said they would before you pay in full.
Check floors around toilets for softness, so you can tell if you have any floor damage. An easy way to test for floor softness is by straddling the toilet and shifting your weight. If the floor feels soft when you do this, you have floor damage. You can save a lot if you catch these issue sooner.
Don’t use harsh chemicals such as toilet tablets that claim to be cleaners in your toilet. These products may well remove odors, but they can seriously damage the rubber pieces in the toilet, which can prevent your toilet from functioning correctly.
You can greatly extend the life of your garbage disposal by regularly cleaning it. By incorporating a regular cleaning routine, your garbage disposal can stay running smoothly. One way to clean your disposal is to run dish detergent and lemon rinds through your garbage disposal. As an added benefit, this technique will also eliminate any scents from your disposal.
Check the floors in your bathroom for any give in order to be sure that there is no damage in the toilet to determine floor damage. You could save money if you notice these issue sooner.
You can drastically reduce your utility bills with the installation of shower heads designed for better efficiency. Your shower consumes a majority of the hot water usage in your home. When you install an energy-efficient shower head, you will reduce your home’s water consumption, which means money left in your pocket.
Use a drain strainer to prevent small particles from getting through. The ones in the bathroom can be cleaned out on a regular basis.
Be sure to check your dryer and clear your lint trap of any debris. This is a good idea for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is fire safety. Check your lint trap for holes to make sure the lint is not going in your plumbing system.
Schedule all the plumbing work simultaneously. You might be tempted to have a plumber come out for every little thing that happens, but saving your plumbing issues for one time can let you put that money back into 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.
Frozen pipes can cost you a significant amount to repair. Fortunately, frozen pipes are easy to prevent. Pipes in crawlspaces or outside your home should be thoroughly insulated. When it gets colder, disconnect and drain the hoses and turn the outside faucet off. This can save some serious money on pipe repairs over time.
Pour baking soda followed by vinegar down your bathtub drain every month.Plug the opening or cover it with a cloth while the chemical reaction to occur. After letting it sit for a few moments,just flush the drain out with water that has reached a boiling point. This should clear your pipes of accumulated hair and soap scum.
Steer clear of drain cleaners whenever possible. Drain cleaners contain caustic and damaging chemicals which can destroy your pipes if used too often. Instead, if you still see your drain clogged up, you might need a professional plumber to come take a look and fix the problem.
Overflow Holes
Get more information about a plumber before hiring him or her. A plumber with bad credentials might not be experienced enough to fix your problem. Look up reviews for plumbers, or ask people you know for a recommendation.
Ensure overflow holes don’t have not been clogged. Clear overflow holes periodically when doing your periodic checks for problems and things that need to be repaired.
Always check your toilet and make certain it isn’t leaking. A simple way to check this is to put a few drops of food coloring into the toilet tank. Keep your eyes on the toilet bowl, and if the colored water seeps into the bowl, you know that there is an issue with your toilet that you will need to take care of soon.
If the hose that leads to your kitchen sink has not been maintained or installed properly, the problem is most likely a hose running to your kitchen sink that was not correctly installed. The hose from your sink and the dishwasher needs to go up and then down so that there is no mixing between fixtures.
As the weather turns frosty, make sure faucets outside are not dripping or leaking. If the faucets have these problems, they will have to be repaired before temperatures reach the freezing point. Whatever the material of your pipes, freezing water causes pressure that can make them crack. The tiniest cracks might create water damage or cause water to flood into your house.
People usually opt for a cheap shower head that is out there. The problem with this is that is they’re less tough and can break.
If you are looking for a plumbing contractor, take some time to check with the Department of Consumer Affairs. By doing this you can see if they have any problems with their license and heck on reviews about the quality of their work. Their license must be current and in good standing, otherwise you do not want them in your home.
Clean the aerator to if you are dealing with low water pressure issues due to sediment build up. Take out the aerator, disassemble it, and brush it clean with a little vinegar.
You can snake the drain stack on your washing machine if it plugs and overflows. The pipe may be clogged up due to lint.
There are two ways to get a stubborn clean-out plug. The first approach to use is taking a hammer and chisel to loosen the fitting loose. The only other option is chiseling through it.
Bring out your inner conservationist by upgrading your hot water heater to a tank-less hot water heater. They work differently than conventional water heaters because they don’t store water and heat the water only as it is needed. Obviously, you will save money when you are not paying to keep water hot all the time.
If you have a need for a plumber, be sure to check them out prior to hiring them. A plumber with bad credentials might not skilled in a particular task could actually aggravate the problem.Always look at reviews on plumbers, or ask friends and family if they can recommend one.
There are a lot of amateurs in plumbing, so if you’re a pro, you might want to get an apprentice. On top of giving you a cheap labor source, it allows you to pass on your skills to future generations.
You should always be aware of where the primary water cut-off valve is in your property. There will be a water meter there or possibly close by. Fixtures, such as sinks or toilets, may also have individual shut-off valves.Make sure every family member knows how to find these valves, and mark the shut-off position for ease of use.
If your home has copper pipes, they could expand a little when hot water runs through them. This expansion causes the pipes to become misaligned with the pipe hanger. This can damage the pipes over time. To prevent this, place a layer of tape around the pipe and replace it into the hanger.
If you notice water dripping into the walls of your home, it is crucial that you shut off your water supply and call a plumber immediately. This is a sign there is something seriously wrong plumbing-wise. Many issues related to this cause mildew and mold, mold and possibly flooding.
To save both time and money, consolidate all your plumbing problems into a single visit from the plumber. When you have a bunch of nagging problems, note what all of them are and then call the plumber. It will save money in the long run because you will not have to incur multiple service charges.
Tankless water heaters are a green option for environmentally conscious individuals to think about buying. Tankless water heaters heat water constantly hot. This will save you a significant amount of money that would have been wasted heating up water pointlessly.
Consider adding flood alarms to your home’s plumbing. Flood alarms work on the same principle as smoke alarms. They operate with a battery and sound an alarm if water contacts the device. They can let you know about a leak or flood even while you’re sleeping!
The heat from the sun can be easy to ignore when you are focused on what you’re doing, but that does not mean that it becomes any less dangerous.
Inspect your plumbing for any signs of wear and replace parts as needed. There are stop-gap repair measures including foams and the like, but those are meant to be temporary fixes. For a long term fix, buy a replacement part and install it.
Certain foods, carrots, carrots and bananas, can actually get caught in the blades and result in a clogged garbage disposal.
When you are cleaning your fiberglass bathroom fixtures, use gentle nonabrasive cleaners like dish and laundry detergents that will not scratch them! Cleaners that are non-abrasive don’t deal as much damage to your sensitive pipes because they lack the rough chemicals that others are filled with.
Copper pipes can sometimes expand a little as hot water travels through them.
The flapper and flapper seat in your toilet tank, when damaged, worn or crusted with mineral build-up, allows water to keep running into the toilet bowl on a continuous basis, which drives up your water bills by a great deal. You simply need to replace the old flapper and/or clean the seat for the flapper.
If you don’t take care of it, you may find that a small leak could turn to a large leak, and harder to contain.
If a pipe in your home freezes, use a hairdryer to try to thaw it. Although a blowdryer provides a relatively low heat level which will make the task take more time, you can avoid using more dangerous methods, and also save yourself a call to have the local plumber come out.
It may seem like purchasing plumbing tools is costly, but consider how much money they can also save you. It is very easy to locate videos online that give you step by step instructions about basic plumbing repairs. If you have the tools you need, you need not hire a professional plumber to deal with any minor issues that crop up.
Get a sealant designed for the kind of material you are going to use it on for a better connection. Stores that sell plumbing supplies or large home-improvement chains carry both types of products, and they can give you advice as well.
Regular Maintenance
Over-tightening a pipe can be just as bad, maybe worse than if you under-tighten it. It can damage the pipe’s threads, or crack the pipe, only tighten it until it stops the leak and nothing more.
Regular maintenance is of the utmost importance if you want to prevent future leaks to your faucets and dripping pipes. A leak can waste as much as 150 gallons per day, it is important to regularly check your pipes for drips or leaks. Regular maintenance will prevent extreme wear and tear.
It is necessary to insulate in any areas that typically get colder during winter, this includes exterior walls and attics. Insulation can be wrapped around pipes, and is available at any hardware store. Doing this will not just save your pipe from busting if it gets frozen, but it will also ensure that your hot water remains hot until it reaches your sink or shower.
You need to be properly educated and prepared in order to stay away from plumbing problems. A homeowner is likely to make good decisions and avoid plumbing disasters if he bothers to learn some things about the subject. 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.
