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How To Know When You Need The Help Of A Plumber
How To Know When You Need The Help Of A Plumber
If you've ever hired a professional plumber for something simple you know how expensive and annoying the experience can be. If you'd like to save a little cash by learning how to solve your own plumbing problems read on. This article will give you the knowledge you need for your own plumbing repair.
When starting a plumbing project that is due to loud noises in your pipes empty the pipes first. This can be an easy fix to an other wise wasted huge job. Just close the main water line and open the facets throughout the house. After the water has stopped flowing turn the water on from the main source and check to see if the noise is eliminated.
Rigid copper is used for main water lines in many homes. You cannot bend rigid copper so joints and tees must be soldered on. When soldering always apply flux (also called soldering paste) to both surfaces. Flux retards oxidation when the copper is heated. Always use lead-free or nearly lead-free solder when sweating a copper joint.
When starting a plumbing project that is due to loud noises in your pipes empty the pipes first. This can be an easy fix to an other wise wasted huge job. Just close the main water line and open the facets throughout the house. After the water has stopped flowing turn the water on from the main source and check to see if the noise is eliminated.
You can check your toilet for leaks by adding a few drops of food coloring Kool Aid or some coffee grounds to the water in the toilets tank (not the water in the bowl). Check the water in the bowl after a half hour or so. If any of the coloring agent is visible in the water in the bowl the tank is leaking and you will have to have it repaired.
If water is backing up into multiple fixtures all over the house it is no longer going to be effective for you to use chemicals or a small hand snake. This is evidence of a blockage in the main line and you must contact a professional to take care of this problem for you.
To avoid wasting water and having a potentially high water bill check your home for leaky faucets periodically. Fix any leaks that you find right away. You may be able to do the repair yourself but if not you may have to seek the services of a plumber to make the repairs.
Never pour grease down the kitchen-sink drain. This will help you avoid clogs in your kitchen sink. Place grease in a can or other receptacles and dispose of in the trash. Grease that has congealed on pots and pans can be wiped off with paper towels that can be thrown in the trash.
If you have a foul odor coming from your garbage disposal this is due to food debris buildup. You need to put ice cubes orange peels and lemon peels into the disposal and run for about 30 seconds. Next run some liquid dish soap through the disposal. This should take care of the problem if there is not a substantial blocking buildup.
Frozen pipes can lead to many problems most of them expensive to fix. So you want to avoid that at all costs. To avoid frozen pipes make sure the temperature in your home never drops below 55 degrees. Look for any air leaks around your pipes and make sure there sealed up.
Try to limit the amount of hair that goes down your drains. Hair can become tangled up in the pipe and end up blocking up the them preventing water from flowing smoothly. Buy a cheap screened drain cover to put over your drain to stop any hair from going down and clean it off regularly.
Before embarking on a plumbing project make sure that you're aware of where the shutoff valve for water in your home is as well as the valves for shutting off individual structures like sinks toilets etc. This way if something goes wrong you'll be able to stop the water flow.
If you have an odor coming from one or more fixtures in your house it is likely this has to do with the water in water traps. Each fixture has a water trap that is sealed off to prevent odors. If the water evaporates the odors can surface. Therefore try adding water to the traps.
Tank-less water heaters are a great space saving alternative to traditional tank units. They are available in many models some for indoors and some models are capable for outdoor mounting. Tank-less water heaters are known as great money savers when it comes to your water bill.
Protect you plumbing pipes! If you live in an area which has cold winters and are leaving your home for an extended amount of time protect your plumbing while you are gone! Shut off the main water valve! Drain the system of water by opening the faucets at the highest and lowest points of the house. Also make sure that you have left some heat on in the house! Set the thermostat to at least 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
Governmental regulations sometimes 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.
A great way to save a few dollars is to add insulation to your hot water heater. Much of the energy required to heat the water in your home is the expense from keeping the water in the tank hot for when it is needed. Adding an extra layer of insulation can help reduce this cost.
Sometimes in the case of minor and or major emergencies we all have to become Mr. Fix it ourselves. If you've got blockage in your drains the first step is to try a commercial de-cloggier like Drano. Simply pour it down the drain wait ten minutes and presto your drain should be clear.
As was discussed at the beginning of the article while plumbing can be an extremely difficult chore for anyone to complete it becomes significantly easier if you have the right advice and information. Use the advice from this article and you'll be on your way to doing your own plumbing.
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