Plumbing Advice Made Simple For You
Content by-McDowell Cummings
If you are looking for information on the various plumbing problems, whether you are doing some home maintenance on your own or someone else's home, this article will provide you with the information you need. If you try and accomplish these tasks without any knowledge, your end product will wind up a disaster and a waste of time.
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.
Never pay for a plumbing job completely until they have finished the job. You might have to put money down initially before the plumber begins the job. However, do not pay everything up front; instead, only pay once the job is successfully completed. If you pay everything up front, you have no recourse if the plumber doesn't finish the job or doesn't do it correctly.
Solder with safety in mind. When you solder a copper pipe you want to direct the flame on the copper pipe. The flame of the torch has to be four inches away from the piping. The flame should be targeted directly at the point where the copper piping needs to be disconnected.
On very cold winter nights, allow your faucets to trickle slightly, especially if your pipes are located in a crawlspace. The running water prevents the pipes from freezing as quickly as they would otherwise. You can catch the water and use it for other household needs to prevent wasting it.
Always keep your garbage disposal clean. You can do this in many ways. Pour some dish soap in and let the disposal run for a few minutes with some cold water. Be sure to run it regularly, if not, it can cause rust. To eliminate foul odors, grind lemon or other citrus peels. You can clean the walls of the disposal by grinding small fruit pits or egg shells.
Avoid using harsh chemicals to clear clogged drains by purchasing a hand-held manual auger. A drain auger is a one-time purchase as opposed to purchasing a new bottle every time a drain is clogged. This is especially helpful for people who deal with clogged drains often, such as people with long hair or kids who like to drop things down the drain.
Frozen pipes can cause a lot of damage and cost you money. Fortunately, it is usually relatively easy to prevent your pipes from freezing. Pipes in crawlspaces or outside your home should be thoroughly insulated. Before winter hits, turn off the water to the outside faucet and drain and store all of your hoses. A bit of prevention prevents a costly plumbing bill.
When chilly weather approaches, it is time to disconnect your water hoses from your outside faucets. If you forget to do this, water in the hoses can freeze and expand. This can cause the faucets and the connecting pipes inside your house to freeze and break. By simply rolling up your garden hoses and storing them for the winter, you can help prevent costly plumbing repairs.
There are simple ways to check your toilet for leaks that can ultimately lead to great cost savings in the long run. The easiest way to do this is to pour a small amount of food dye into the holding tank of your toilet overnight. In the morning, if you have any color in the basin then you know you have a leak that needs some attention.
Look online for reviews of the plumbing contractor you are thinking of hiring. If people are not satisfied with the work that the plumber preforms, many times they will go on the internet and post negative reviews. If they are happy with the plumber they will also post positive reviews.
During the winter months, your water heater works the hardest. To keep it in optimum condition, flush it out before winter arrives. Flushing the system helps remove the sediment buildup, which causes internal corrosion of your water heater, shortens its lifespan, and reduces heating efficiency. Connect a hose to the faucet near the bottom of the tank and drain several gallons by directing the water into a nearby drain.
Have a specific plumber in mind before you have an emergency. Most people don't think about plumbers until they find themselves having a big problem that needs to be fixed right away. Instead, choose a plumber who you are comfortable with and whose experience you trust--way before you actually need his services.
When looking for a plumber, you have quite a few options. Ask friends for recommendations of who they use. Check kitchen plumbing repair for plumbers with good reviews and references. Use your yellow pages and look under "Plumbing Contractors" or "Plumbing, Drain and Sewer Cleaning". Make sure that you contact more than one plumber before making a choice.
If you have an underground leak in your pipes, it is possible to detect the leak before digging. Today's leak detection equipment is very sophisticated and modern, allowing technicians to detect and pinpoint exactly where leaks are before they go about trying to fix them with professional grade equipment for you.
Avoid flushing Read the Full Content , cotton swabs and any feminine sanitary products down the toilet. Even small panty liners can cause big problems because their adhesive backing can stick to pipes and cause stoppages. Keep a small, covered wastebasket next to the toilet to encourage guests to properly dispose of used sanitary articles.
Look at your hot water heater and make sure that the temperature is not higher than 120 degrees Fahrenheit. If it is, it could cause you to get burned or it could reduce the unit's energy consumption. If you determine that the temperature is too high, adjust immediately to avoid any of these things from happening.
It is important to clean your faucet's aerator from time to time. Not cleaning it can cause lime buildup, which in turn, could cause water leaks or low water pressure. To clean a aerator, you can unscrew it from the faucet, dip a brush into vinegar, and use the brush to clean it.
If you notice a leak somewhere in your walls, turn off the water supply, and contact a plumber at once. This usually indicates a serious plumbing problem. These problems could potentially cause flooding as well as mold and mildew, which may be harmful to your health.
In conclusion, it is important that you know how to take care of plumbing, but it is more important that you get your data from a reliable source. Use the great advice provided here and you will be more than happy that you took the time to do so.