Content author-Warren Little

Plumbing is a large and complicated area of home improvement. As you can see, there are all kinds of techniques, equipment, and so much more. Because plumbing is a personal kind of home improvement, it can seem extremely difficult to discover what will be effective for you. The ideas and insights in the following paragraphs are going to fill your mind with good ideas.

Avoid plumbing problems! Do not stop up the toilet! Some common items that will stop up a toilet include: toys, hair, paper towels, birth control items, and feminine personal products. Do not flush these items down your toilet - unless the instructions say otherwise! These can stop up your toilet - to the point that nothing else will work - except calling a plumber!

To help you find a good plumber, you should get recommendations from people whom you trust. Asking a friend or a neighbor is usually more trustworthy than picking a random plumber out of the phone book. You need a competent plumber, otherwise you could be in for a much bigger problem down the road.

Making sure you know all of your problems so you can have them fixed by one plumber visit is very beneficial. Having them all fixed in one visit takes a lot of money off of your bill because you don't have to pay for the visit multiple times so make sure you make a list first.

Frozen and bursting pipes from harsh winter weather is a problem that no-one wants, so plan now to winterize your exterior faucets and pipes against freezing conditions. A simple way to accomplish this is to find the exterior water shut-off valve located inside your home (often located in the basement). Turn off the water valve to stop water flow, and then open up the outside faucets to drain out any water that has collected. Be sure to turn off the outside water faucets tightly after the water has drained out. Take in any hoses you may have outside so they don't crack from the cold weather.

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.





Taking preemptive action to fix a strange smelling kitchen sink can be a good way to keep your kitchen smelling great. Make sure not to throw hair or grease into your sink. Use baking soda if you have a strange smell coming from your drain. Make sure you use your garbage disposal if you have one to grind up any food and use water while doing this to prevent damage to the blades of the garbage disposal.

Keep grease, fat and oil out of your kitchen drain. Whenever they cool, they tend to harden and make clogs inside your drains. This is primarily true if you are someone who has a garbage disposal; the fats will make the blades go slower and less freely. Dump your oil outside or in a container that you throw out with the regular trash.

Clean the buildup of sediment from your aerator to increase your water pressure if it's low. First, you need to remove the aerator, and then take it apart and clean it using a small brush that has been dipped in vinegar. Thoroughly rinse off the aerator, put it back together and place it back on the faucet. Remove the sediment from the aerator to increase water pressure.

Make sure to never leave any flammable liquids near your water heater. Certain liquids like gasoline, solvents, or adhesives are flammable, and if left too close to the water heater, can ignite. If you have to have these liquids in your basement, place it far away from your water heater.

During the week, hair and soap can build up in your drains and can cause serious clogs. Make sure that you have strainers in each of your drains to help catch this debris so that it does not become an issue. This will help to keep your water flowing efficiently.

Sometimes kitchen sinks can be clogged up due to a slow accumulation of solidified grease. One quick fix for this is to try pouring very hot grease down the sink, which will liquefy the grease clogging the drain and carry it down. Water won't work, because grease will not dissolve in water.

24 hour plummer prevent plumbers from actively providing maintenance to copper piping. If you have a calcium buildup in your copper piping, you are going to need to take care of this yourself. You have to get rid of all the water and add vinegar which eats away the calcium buildup out of copper pipes.

Make sure you shut off your main system before leaving your house for a few weeks. The water will stay in the pipes, but this should prevent any further damages in case a leak starts while you are away. Check that your shut-off valve is working properly before you leave.

If you have an ice maker or other plumbing going to your refrigerator, every six months or so pull the refrigerator away from the wall and inspect this plumbing. There should be clogged sewer or corrosion on these plumbing lines, if there is, contact a plumber and have them look at it.

Plumbing is one of those jobs that you should not do your self. If it is something easy like a toilet repair or changing out a faucet, go ahead and give it a try. If it is a major repair, then you are better off hiring a contractor and it may be required to have a licensed plumbing contractor do the work for you.

To avoid hair from accumulating and clogging pipes. Use fine mesh strainers in every drain where hair is washed. Fine mesh strainers can catch the hair and still allow the shower, tub or sink to drain and are also useful in the kitchen to catch and stop small food debris from going down the drain.

Avoid using drain openers that contain chemicals while attempting to unclog the drain. Even though they might be successful in unclogging the drain, the harmful chemicals in these products can be damaging to your skin. If you must use a chemical drain opener, wear a long sleeved shirt and rubber gloves.

Once or twice a year, drain a few inches of water from your water heater using the valve located at the bottom. The water may be rusty-looking or brown, which is the point of this practice; sediment settles to the bottom of the tank and rests there. Flushing some of this sediment from the tank can extend the lifespan of your hot water heater.

Hopefully, these tips have provided you with some very valuable information, as well as given you a way to organize all of the thoughts and information you may have already had on plumbing. Keeping these tips in mind when you start plumbing can help you to become a very good plumber.