Don't Understand Plumbing? These Tips Can Help!

You've done it. You're ready to handle your home's plumbing maintenance and repair. What perfecttiming! You probably have tons of questions on how to start and what to do, but fear not, this articlecan help you. Listed below are some tips that will help you get started with your plumbingaspirations.

Don't be afraid to call a professional. Don't take on jobs to save money, if you aren't sure how to fixthem. Calling a professional plumber saves you money, the experience and know-how can fix yourproblem sooner and with less fuss.

The next time you have a clogged drain, avoid the simple solution of dumping drain-clearingchemicals into the pipes. While this method involves the least amount of effort, the chemicals inthese liquid cleaners are destructive to your piping. Instead, consider using a little bit of elbowgrease with a plunger, snake, or other device designed to clear your clog without chemicals.

Make sure everyone that lives in your house knows where to find and use the main water shut offvalve in case there is a burst pipe emergency. This is especially important if you live in an areawhere your pipes may freeze. Take a moment to show your family members where the valve is andhow to properly shut it off.

To prevent the pipes from freezing, it is advisable to seal off air vents, cracks and access doors. Inorder to keep the heat in and the cold out, you can try using insulation or caulk. In the event a leakoccurs, make it a point to remind everyone where the master circuit breaker is so it can be shut offimmediately.

If your plumbing is making http://www.sears.com/appliances-water-heaters-electric/b-1020348strange noises you may have lost something called your "air cushion". To turn this back on, you'regoing to need to turn off your main water supply. Run all faucets in your house and then turn backon your main water supply. This should make everything sound better again.

Prevention will save you money in plumbing bills. The repairs that plumbers perform the most arefor drains that are clogged. One major thing that causes clots is grease. It builds up over and time.You can help prevent grease build up by looking for a product on the market that will clean thegrease out.

If your drain in any device is taking longer to drain water, then you may need to have your pipesprofessionally cleaned depending on the severity of the circumstances. Before you do this, there areseveral different products you can try. However, some of them are professional strength and allproducts should be used with caution.

To reduce your plumbing repair costs, use preventative maintenance measures. Clogs are a bigproblem with plumbing, and they are quite common. Hair can cause clogs, among many otherthings. Screens and drain covers are great ways to stop hair from going down your drains. It's a loteasier to take hair out of a screen than to pull it from a pipe.

When you replace your shower head, be sure that the replacement head is high quality. People willbuy the cheapest option thinking it will do the job they need it to do. The problem with this is thatthey are not very sturdy and can break much easier.

One of the ways that you can improve the functionality of your shower head is to clean the mineraldeposits from the surface. Unscrew your shower head and soak it in vinegar overnight. In themorning, brush off the deposits with a toothbrush to help the flow of water for your showers.

Beware of black water in your toilet tank. Chances are, the color is caused from too muchmagnesium or iron in your water. Although this is usually harmless, it can be annoying for somepeople. If it is iron or magnesium in your water, the only way to fix it is by filtering the water.

Never hire a plumber that is not licensed,insured and bonded. If the plumbing companycannot provide you with reference numbers fortheir credentials, move on quickly. It is acommon question and it should be a no-brainerfor them to provide them to you. If they haveissues with you asking, take that as a big redflag.

Heat up frozen pipes carefully if they havefrozen. In colder regions, pipes placed closest toouter walls and ceilings could freeze if notproperly insulated. Use hot rags, hot water, a blow dryer or similar heat source. Start heating at aplace nearest the tap, then work backwards.

Protect you plumbing pipes! If you live in an area which has cold winters and are leaving your homefor an extended amount of time, protect your plumbing while you are gone! Shut off the main watervalve! Drain the system of water by opening the faucets at the highest and lowest points of thehouse. Also, make sure that you have left some heat on in the house! Set the thermostat to at least55 degrees Fahrenheit.

A pipe snake might solve the problems of an overflowing washing machine. Sometimes lint and smallthings from the machine will build up and make it back up.

The toilet should never be leaking, so make sure. Try dropping a little food coloring in the tank.Watch the bowl part of your toilet, and if you start to see colored water, you will know you havesomething that has to be taken care of.

If you need to locate a pipe under the floor, attach a strong magnet to a solid line coated with fishtape. Flush the magnet or throw it in a drain. Make sure to attach the line to something or to havesomeone hold it. Use a compass to locate the magnet and water heater valve replacement cost thepipe.

Check the plumbing in your home. If your home has the flexible gray polybutylene water pipes, youneed to have a plumber come out and assess their condition. These types of pipe are prone to failureand can lead to very costly repairs if they have a failure within your home.

As you can see, plumbing isn't as difficult as you may have believed. Many plumbing problems canbe solved easily with things on hand, or with a few inexpensive parts. Next time you have a problem

with your plumbing, try using the tips in this article to solve it yourself!