Written by-Gill McDonough
How much do you really know about your home's plumbing? What improvements would you make? What plumbing skills do you already have? If you are unable to answer each of these questions satisfactorily, keep reading.
Look closely at your toilets several times throughout the year. Check to see if there are any leaks that you may not have noticed; you can do this by placing five or six drops of food coloring in the tank. If there is a leak, the color will seep into the bowl within half an hour. This process will help you catch a small problem before it gets too out of control.
Routinely check your appliance connections and faucets around the house for any kind of obvious leaks or nearby signs of moisture. Not only do even the smallest leaks lead to a large waste of water and money, they also can lead to damage to your home or even the development of harmful molds.
Act quickly if your pipes freeze! Shut off the water and open the faucet, enabling it to drain when it thaws. Starting with the faucet, and working your way to the iced-up area, aim a propane torch or hairdryer at the pipe - this will quickly defrost it. You could also wrap the pipe in a heating pad or aim a heat lamp at it, but this will take quite some time. A last resort is to wrap the pipe in rags and pour boiling water over it.
Do not let your faucet leak. Did you know a leaky faucet can waste about 150 gallons of water every day? If you have a leak, never ignore it. It could be coming from the faucet or the pipes. Continually check pipes and faucets for extra moisture or small leaks.
Find a better way to discard of cooking oil instead of pouring it down the drain where it can easily clog your pipes. Keep a coffee can or other metal container handy to pour grease into after cooking. Place the can in the freezer to harden the grease and when it's full, discard it with the trash.
Is your toilet leaking? Find out by putting some food color in the tank and then check the bowl later. If there is colored water in the bowl, the toilet has an internal leak. To fix an internal leak you can simply replace the tank's ball or flapper.
While it may seem like a seemingly harmless thing to do, never run potato peels through your garbage disposal.
https://squareblogs.net/cathey03dixie/valuable-tips-for-learning-plumbing-projects make up of this seemingly harmless food allows the potato to turn into a thick, viscous substance that can wreak havoc on the disposal itself, with the potential to render it completely useless.
To prevent the most common kitchen sink clogs, avoid putting any sort of solid foods down your drain. Many foods, such as eggs and vegetable and fruit waste actually harden with exposure to cold water and over time can form clogs that are next to impossible to remove without professional help.
If the hot water heater in your house is over ten years old, you should look at replacing it. Hot water heaters are very susceptible to corrosion on the bottom.
Highly recommended Resource site can lead to leaking and flooding whatever room it is in. Then not only will you have to replace it, but you'll have to fix any damage caused by the leak.
Do not, under any circumstances, put lemons down your disposal. Although the lemon smell will give your disposal a great smell, its acid can corrode the metal parts in it. Instead, use products that are made specifically for this use. You can purchase these products at most hardware stores or wherever cleaning products are sold.
Do you have a frozen drainpipe? You can use a garden hose to thaw it out. First of
http://shelba43dillon.xtgem.com/__xt_blog/__xtblog_entry/__xtblog_entry/27812409-straightforward-tips-to-aid-you-handle-plumbing-issues?__xtblog_block_id=1#xt_blog , remove the trap from the drainpipe and insert the hose until it will not go any further. While lifting up the other end of the hose, pour hot water down it. Keep pouring hot water down the hose until the drainpipe thaws. To save time with cleanup, keep a bucket underneath to catch the water that overflows.
Teach your children how to notice plumbing problems. Many parents handle plumbing issues without sharing that information with their children, who grow up not knowing anything about plumbing. Any time you make a small repair or notice a problem, call your kids in and explain what the problem is and what you are going to do. Educate them so they can make good decisions in the future.
Make sure your toilet is not leaking. An easy way to check for this is to drop some food coloring in the toilet tank. If colored water appears in the toilet bowl, this means your toilet is leaking.
The plumbing world is filled with amateurs. If you are more experienced, it might be helpful for you to look for an apprentice. This is a great way to hire inexpensive labor, and can help you mentor those younger than you.
The best thing you can do if you smell a foul odor coming from your toilet is to call a plumber. There is a good chance that you may have a sewer backup. Not only can this cause pipe damage, but inhaling the smells from sewer backups is harmful to your help.
Repair a leaky faucet as quickly as possible. Most leaky faucets are caused by a worn or damaged seal, which can easily be replaced, but you need to attend to it quickly. A slow leak can waste up to 20 gallons of water per day, costing a lot of money in the long run. If the faucet is really old, sometimes it's worth replacing the entire fixture.
Never pour grease of any kind down your kitchen drains, especially grease from animal sources, which tends to harden rather quickly. The grease can congeal in your pipes and cause disastrous clogs and back-ups. It's better to dispose of grease in the trash to keep your drains flowing well.
Have you learned a few things about plumbing? Find out more about the specific system you have. Do you feel you have become more adept at plumbing? Are you aware of fittings and tools that are compatible with your home's plumbing? Can you properly operate the equipment? Remember these tips to learn how to do plumbing yourself.