Any homeowner who does not happen to be a professional plumber, will eventually be dealt a headache or two by some plumbing problem in their house. Sometimes, you may have to wait if you are calling a plumber, and it can be expensive as well. Keep reading to learn how to easily fix common plumbing problems.
Understanding how your tools work can give you a tremendous boost when plumbing. Be sure you read everything you can from the manuals, and use different things like the library and internet to learn all the projects that are do it yourself. When planning on repairs, plan on having a plan.
Only pay pay the plumber once the job is done. It is customary for many companies to require you to put money down before they begin the job, but always wait to pay the rest of the balance until the job is totally finished. If you pay everything up front, you have no recourse if the plumber doesn’t finish the job or doesn’t do it correctly.
You can check for damage to the floors around the toilets by checking for soft areas. You can check for softness or weakness in the floor by placing one foot on each side of the toilet and rocking back and forth. You could save money if you notice these problems early.
Try to never pour grease, fat, or any oil-based liquids into your drains. Oils will eventually harden and clog up your drain. This is especially damaging to garbage disposals because the fat can make the blades turn more slowly and less efficiently. To keep your drain running efficiently, dispose of fats and oils in other ways besides pouring them down the drain.
Schedule all the plumbing work at one time. You may be tempted to call a professional plumber if you have any minor issues, but saving your plumbing issues for one time can let you put that money back into repairs. Most plumbers charge an hourly fee that can be minimized if there is only one visit to your home.
If you have a clogged toilet with the water level very low, and plunging it isn’t working, it’s possible to resolve this by pouring warm water from a bucket directly into the toilet bowl from about waist level. This procedure can be repeated if the water level again returns to a level that is too low.
Efficient Shower
Installing efficient shower heads could save you a lot of money when it comes to your energy bill. 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.
An incorrectly installed hose from the kitchen sink to the dishwasher can cause unwanted water to drain into the dishwasher. This hose must lead uphill and downhill to prevent mixing water between the kitchen sink and the dishwasher.
Don’t put oil, grease or fat into your drain. When they cool down, they get hard and that will cause clogs in your sink drains. This is especially the case if you possess a garbage disposal; fats and oils cause blades to run less efficiently and slow. Keep a container in your kitchen that is used specifically for discarded grease.
Enzyme Based
When your pipes have clogs and you are thinking of using a pipe cleaner, choose a cleaner that is enzyme based. These will utilize natural bacteria to transform sludge into a liquid that can be removed. Enzyme based cleaners are not corrosive so they won’t erode your metal pipes.
The dryer has a lint trap that must be kept clean. This is preventative maintenance that will prevent many problems, including fires. Check your lint trap for holes to make sure the lint is not going in your plumbing system.
It is very important to to use lots of cold water when running your garbage disposal. Cold water keeps the blades sharpened, giving you optimal performance whenever it is used. Hot water can liquify grease and cause it to collect in the drain, and that can clog the pipes.
To reduce your plumbing repair costs, use preventative maintenance measures. Drain clogs can be expensive and are actually a major repair, one of the most common ones, too. This is because pipes can retain and trap hair, and other particles, very easily. Stop the clog by covering your drains with screens to keep hair from going into the pipes. It’s a lot easier to take hair out of a screen than to pull it from a pipe.
Do not attempt to remove grout from your plumbing. You could try to break up all the grout to send it down further. This is more successful in plastic plumbing as compared to metal pipes. However, you may never be fully rid of the grout without the assistance of a professional.
Drain Cleaners
If you have any water in your dishwasher that should not be there, check the connection on your kitchen sink. The hose from your sink to your dishwasher needs to go upward before going back down so that there is no mixing between fixtures.
To extend the life of your pipes, try to stay away from drain cleaners if you can. Drain cleaners contain harsh chemicals that can cause your pipes to corrode if you overuse them. If you discover that you have a blocked drain, the best course of action is to hire a professional to call by and examine it for you.
As you can see, plumbing problems don’t have to be so difficult. If you can solve the problem yourself, you can save time waiting for a plumber, as well as saving a whole lot of money. Try applying what you’ve learned from this article next time you have a plumbing problem!