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Plumbing For Dummies: Some Top Tips

It can seem like a lot of work to learn about plumbing, but with some research and effort, you will see it is actually pretty straightforward.

Avoiding frozen pies is easy if you ensure no area of your house ever falls below freezing and that any pipes which are exposed to such temperatures are protected with insulation. Pipes will freeze if they are exposed to temperatures below freezing. If they do freeze, you are looking at some time before they can thaw out, thus you will have to wait for running water. The other option is the pipes may burst, which would result in significant repair costs and a mess to clean up.

TIP! To keep your pipes from freezing in the winter, insulate all exterior pipes and be sure to keep your interior house temperature above freezing, even if the house is vacant. But, be advised that your pipes may freeze if the surrounding temperature near those pipes is less than freezing.

Pump out your septic tank every five years to keep it in proper working condition. Although it is somewhat of an expense to pump out a septic tank, cleaning up sewage backup in your home will ultimately cost much more.

If you have a water pipe that freezes, have the tap closest to it turned on so the water can exit while the pipe thaws. This relieves the pressure contained in the pipe as it also prevents it from bursting, which would reduce the damage done to your house.

TIP! To deal with a frozen pipe, turn on the faucet closest to the pipe. This gives the water a place to exit as the pipe defrosts.

Don’t use any colored tablets in your toilet.These products may well remove odors, but they can seriously damage the rubber pieces in the toilet, causing poor functionality or even complete breakdown of the fixture.

If you are unable to relieve a clogged toilet with a plunger, try pouring a small bucket of water into the bowl from about waist level if the level of water in the bowl is low. You could repeat this process again if the water in the toilet bowl gets low.

TIP! If you have a clogged toilet and a plunger is not helping to clear the blockage, if the water level is low, pouring a bucking of boiling water from a height into the toilet bowl could resolve the problem. Do this as often as necessary if the water level dips back down again.

Use filters on all drains to prevent small particles from getting through. The bathtub’s strainers need to cleaned out as needed.

Check for floor damage around your toilet. If the floor around your toilet feels softer than the rest of the floor in your bathroom, there’s damage you need to address. An easy way to test for floor softness is by straddling the toilet and shifting your weight. If the floor feels soft when you do this, you have floor damage. You can save a lot if you catch these issue sooner.

TIP! Check for softness in your floor to determine flood damage. Straddle the toilet, so you can rock from one leg to another to determine whether there’s weakness in the floor.

Avoid putting grease, fat, and grease in your drain. This is primarily true if you are someone who has a garbage disposals because the fat can make the blades turn more slowly and less freely. Make sure you dispose of all oils away from the sink.

Whenever you have plumbing work that needs to be done, you should schedule all problems at one time. This allows you to save up for necessary parts and equipment while saving money on hiring a professional. It also saves you money because a lot of plumbers charge by the hour–they cannot charge for multiple hours every trip if they only make one trip out.

TIP! Schedule all the plumbing work at one time. By doing so, you can save up enough money to pay for the repairs.

You can prevent annoying odors and promote smooth operation by setting up a regular cleaning routine with lemon rinds, lemon peels, and even cherry pits.

If you have a shower head that needs replacing, be sure to get one that is good quality. There are some who think that low price is all that matters when buying fixtures for the bathroom. While it may be cheap, chances are you will have to replace it sooner, as it’s more likely to break sooner.

TIP! When replacing your shower head, pay attention to the quality of the replacement head. People try to save money by buying the least expensive shower head that is out there.

Schedule all the plumbing work simultaneously. You might be tempted to contact a plumber every time you face a small problem, but if you have problems repaired all at once, you can save up money for repairs.Most plumbers charge an hourly fee that can be minimized if there is only one trip is cheaper than calling them more than once.

If you take care of your plumbing, you will have lower plumbing bills. Drain clogging is a very common plumbing problem. You can clog your drains with hair. Use a drain cover to keep hair and other elements from going down your pipes. You can remove hair much easier from a screen as opposed to getting it out of the inside of a pipe.

TIP! The secret to low or even no repair bills from plumbing issues is prevention. Clogs present one of the top reasons for needing a major plumbing repair.

Don’t flush anything that is unlikely to dissolve and wind up clogging pipes, sanitary napkins, diapers or cotton balls, because these items don’t break down and may cause clogging issues.

Cleaning an aerator can remove sediment buildup that causes low water pressure. The aerator should be removed and taken apart. Then, clean with a tiny brush swabbed in vinegar. Rinse it and put it back on the faucet. This should raise the water pressure nicely because anything that was inside of the aerator will be removed.

TIP! A sink with poor water pressure can often be corrected by cleaning the built-up sediment out of the aerator. After removing the aerator, use an old toothbrush with some vinegar on it to clean the sediment off.

This isn’t as horrible as you expected, is it? Plumbing has many different easy tips and tricks that anyone can learn. Sometimes it takes a small push to get you started. Hopefully, the tips above has been able to help you with that.

There are two ways to get a clean out fitting out. You can loosen the fitting around the plug using a hammer and chisel. The only other option is to chisel right through the clean out plug.

TIP! If you have to take out a clean-out plug but you aren’t having any success, two ways can assist you in doing this. The first method is by using a chisel and hammer to try to loosen the fitting.