Now’s the time to expand your knowledge of plumbing. You’ve probably thought about it in the past, but haven’t had the time to do it. The excellent tips below will make you very happy you took the time now, especially the next time a basic plumbing issue creeps into your life.
Noisy Pipes
Noisy pipes that make squeaking or hammering sounds are an easy problem to fix. You must anchor all exposed pipes. It may be necessary to hire a professional to address noisy pipes that are located in less accessible places in your home.
Noisy pipes is an easy do-it-yourself project. Anchor any pipes that are exposed. If pipes are located in the floor, ceiling or walls, you might want to have a professional help you complete the project.
You can prevent frozen pipes within the home, by ensuring the temperature does not fall below freezing. Another important step is insulating pipes that are exposed to cold temperatures. Obviously, frozen pipes occur due to freezing environmental conditions. It could take some time in order for the pipes to thaw out so that you can have running water. However, frozen pipes commonly break or crack pipes, leading to flooding and costly repairs.
Frozen Pipe
If you have a frozen pipe, turn on the nearest faucet so the water has an escape route when the pipe starts to thaw. Letting the water drain out will relieve pressure in the frozen pipe, which will reduce the chances of it bursting and damaging your home.
If your water pipe has frozen, start water running in the faucet closest to the frozen pipe. This will give excess water somewhere to drain as the ice in the pipe thaws. If there is too much pressure within the pipe, it may burst, causing other forms of damage in the home.
Ensure that a septic tank is emptied approximately five yearly, and make sure it is properly maintained. 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. Although it is somewhat of an expense to pump out a septic tank, it is nothing compared to what you will have to spend on cleaning up a backup of sewage or repairing or replacing your septic system.
Don’t be tempted to use commercial bleach tablets, blue toilet tablets or any other product that claims to prevent toilet odor. These things may help improve smells, but they can damage the rubber components of a toiler, which can cause it to function improperly or even worse, completely break down.
If your toilet gets clogged, your plunger is not fixing it, 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 every time the water level gets too low.
Pass on seemingly convenient cleaning products like bleach tablets and blue toilet tabs. 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.
Sifting drainers are available for any size drain to prevent items larger than a grain of sand going into your pipes. Whenever large particles become trapped in the strainer, remove them. The bathtub’s strainers need to cleaned out on a regular basis.
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. 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.
Keep your garbage disposal clean to make sure it lasts for awhile. By utilizing a routine on a regular basis, using the combination of lemon rinds, cherry pits, and dish soap, you can maintain a disposal that runs great and smells like new.
Give all drains strainers to gather particulate matter that can clog pipes. You should clean your strainer in your kitchen anytime you have anything in it. The ones in the bathroom can be cleaned out as needed.
Think about what plumbing work you need, then schedule them all at once. You might be tempted to have a plumber come out for every little thing that happens, but kicking the can on some issues until you have a list means you can save a few bucks. You will also save because plumbers usually charge hourly rates, so hours they can charge you are reduced if there is only one trip made.
However, if you mix a cup of vinegar and a cup of baking soda and send them down your tub’s drain each month, the flow will keep going smoothly. Plug the drain afterwards or cover it with a washcloth, as the two chemicals are going to react with each other. Flush it with boiling water after a few minutes. Doing this will help rid your pipes of disgusting soap scum and blockages.
In conclusion, it’s really important that you know the necessary things about your plumbing system. You will be useful to your family, as well as save a ton of cash if you learn how to plumb. Hopefully you were able to understand all of the concepts covered here and found it to be interesting.
Do not put any oil, fat, or greasy foods or products in your sink. When they cool off, they become hard and will clog your pipes. A garbage disposal can even become clogged by hardened grease and it will not run at optimum speed and efficiency. Dispose of your oils in a coffee can or other suitable container instead of your sink.