Knowing what you are doing is essential if you plan on undertaking any plumbing projects in your home. There aren’t many ways to destroy a house faster than to leave a major plumbing problem unfixed. Fortunately, homeowners can take a lot of steps to prevent plumbing nightmares and to minimize the effects when they occur.
Septic Tank Pumped
It is a advisable to have a septic tank pumped every five years to keep it in peak condition. Doing this prevents any sediment from getting built up within the tank, which causes a backup in your home or causes your entire septic system to fail. Although having a septic tank pumped costs money, cleaning up sewage backup in your home will ultimately cost much more.
To keep your pipes from getting frozen, always maintain a temperature in the house above freezing and make sure all pipes exposed to outside elements are insulated properly. But, be advised that your pipes may freeze if the surrounding temperature near those pipes is less than freezing. The best result you can hope for from frozen pipes is to be without water until the pipes thaw. The other option is the pipes may burst, which would result in significant repair costs and a mess to clean up.
You plumbing experiences will go much smoother if you know your tools, and have the knowledge of how to use each one. Read all of the equipment’s manuals and read up as much as you can on plumbing projects. Plan properly prior to beginning any type of repair, because fixing a mistake can cost a lot of money.
While various toilet tablets and odor removers may be tempting, it’s best not to use them in your toilet. While they may be effective deodorizers, they can damage rubber parts in your toilet. If they become too damaged, your toilet will not operate properly.
Check floors around toilets for softness, so you can tell if you have any floor damage. Sit on the toilet and move from side to side, placing one foot on the ground. As you do, see if the floor lacks sturdiness or feels otherwise soft. As with many problems, early detection can save you a lot of money.
If your toilet’s water level is low, the toilet is clogged up, and using a plunger isn’t resolving the issue, hold a bucket filled with warm water at about your waistline, and pour it into your toilet. After the water level in the toilet bowl has gone down, you can repeat the procedure until the blockage is cleared.
Place a strainer on top of every drain so that you collect all debris that has the ability to clog the drain. You should clean your strainer in your kitchen anytime you have anything in it. You should also clean your bathtub strainer any time it is slow to drain.
Based Liquids
Try to never pour grease, fat, or any oil-based liquids into your drains. These materials may be liquid when you pour them in, but they will solidify and cause problems. This is especially the case if you possess a garbage disposal; fats and oils cause blades to run less efficiently and slow. The best thing to do is to dispose of oil-based liquids away from your sinks.
A strainer should be placed over all the drains in order to gather particles that would just get in the drain and potentially cause stoppage. Your kitchen sink strainer must be cleaned whenever it catches anything. Those in the bathtub should be cleaned out periodically, as needed.
Keep your bathtub drain running well by pouring a cup of baking soda followed by a cup of vinegar down the drain each month. The combination will cause a chemical reaction, so just place a cloth or other object over the drain after pouring. Wait for a bit, then flush with boiling water. Your pipes will soon be clear of accumulated hair and soap scum.
Ensure your overflow holes aren’t clogged up. These passages allow your sink to fill up without overflowing onto your floor, and if they’re blocked that can cause you a major headache. Make sure to clean out the overflow holes each time you do maintenance checks on your sinks.
If there is unwanted water draining into the dishwasher, it is most likely because of the hose to the kitchen sink being installed improperly. This hose should lead uphill first and then downhill so the water from the sink and the dishwater never mix.
If your home operates on well water and you notice pink or orange stains in your bathtub and other fixtures, this is no doubt due to iron in the water. You can use water softener that you buy at the store to remedy this situation, or you can have a professional do it for you.
If your pipes are clogged, and you want to try a pipe cleaner, it is suggested that you use an enzyme based cleaner. These natural bacteria cleaners turn sludge into liquid, and then remove it from the pipes. The best options on the market now are enzyme cleaners.
If you have grout stuck in the line, it’s futile to try and clean it out yourself. The grout can be broken up however it is not an easy task to do by yourself. This will work better if the pipes you have are plastic instead of metal. However, you may never be fully rid of the grout without the assistance of a professional.
There are two ways to remove clean out plugs. Try to use a hammer and chisel to loosen it. Unfortunately, if you still cannot remove the plug, the only viable option left on the table is to bust right through the plug completely with the hammer and chisel.
Pour equal parts baking soda followed by vinegar down your bathtub drain once a month. Plug the opening or cover it with a cloth while the chemical reaction takes place. Wait for a bit, then flush with boiling water. This process should open up the pipes by clearing out hair build-up and soap scum.
If you are looking into hiring a plumber, make certain you do your research first before you hire one. Some plumbers do not have the experience to deal with certain problems, and may make matters worse. Look up reviews for plumbers, or ask people you know for a recommendation.
A common problem with toilets is that sewage will on will back up and flow into the toilet. This happens because of a blockage within the branch lines that connect the main line to the sewage line. You can run a device through this called a snake to try to clean up the clog. Or you can also purchase some specific drain cleaner and hope that works. If not, you’ll have to call in the professionals.
Plumbing requires more skills than just routing water from point A to point B. One of the most common things that a plumber works on is fixing water lines.
When you replace your shower head, be sure that the replacement head is high quality. Some people think that one shower head is like any other, so decide on price alone. The problem about this is they aren’t sturdy and they tend to break a lot easier.
Having a basic knowledge and being prepared are the first steps to successful plumbing repairs. Knowing the basics of maintaining good plumbing can help a homeowner to make sound decisions. Also, homeowners who dig up information about a problem beforehand are much more likely to solve the problem faster and easier.