This is going to be one of the best resources available for you to learn more about plumbing. There might be a lot of resources available both on and offline however we have gathered the best information in this article and sorted out the obvious or incorrect advice that you may find elsewhere.
Don't put oil grease or fat into your drain. They might be in liquid form but after they cool off they will solidify and make a clog in your drain pipe. A garbage disposal can even become clogged by hardened grease and it will not run at optimum speed and efficiency. Make certain you dispose of all oils in other places other than the sink.
To avoid having your outdoor faucets freeze up in the winter detach all hoses before the first freeze. Also close the shutoff valve that leads to the outdoor faucets then turn on the outdoor faucets to let any remaining water in the lines drain. Once temperatures warm up in the spring you can reverse the process.
If your toilet is slow to flush add some white vinegar to the overflow tube. White vinegar helps the water from your tank to flow quickly which will make the toilet flush faster. It is recommended that you use about a quart of the vinegar and let it stay there for at least an hour before flushing.
Make sure that your tool box is ready for any project you are preparing to do. The last thing you want is to be knee deep in a job only to find that you are missing the one tool you need to finish. Be sure to have various sizes of pipe wrenches that can be used to complete any job.
Don't shrug off that trickle coming from your toilet as a small problem. Even the tiniest leak can be quite expensive in the long run as you end up wasting potentially hundreds of gallons of water. See if you can find the root of the leak or seek out professional advice and keep your toilet running efficiently.
Avoid pouring grease or oil down your kitchen sink drain. Grease and oil can build up in your pipes and cause a backup. Instead wait for the grease or oil to cool and solidify and either throw it away or see if there's a place to recycle it near your home.
Watch how your toilets are flushing. If you have to jiggle the handle or if it takes too long you might have to repair some toilet parts. Replacing these parts early may help you to save on your water bills and will save you from more expensive repairs at a later date.
Make sure that you disconnect all hoses outside your house when the fall season hits. This is important to reduce the chance of freezing which can cause damage to the connecting pipes. Disconnect all of your water hoses and store them safely to put your family in the best position for the fall.
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.
If the water pressure on your street exceeds 60 pounds you many want to consider installing a pressure reducing valve. Too much water pressure is actually harmful to your plumbing system and could cause excess water pressure. A pressure reducing valve cuts down your water pressure by almost 50 percent.
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 wont work because grease will not dissolve in water.
In the winter months if you live somewhere where temperatures fall below freezing leave your faucets on a little bit to let a thin stream of water through. This will help prevent the pipes from freezing which could be a major problem for you and all the pipes in your home.
Never flush menstrual products such as pads or tampons even if the box says its okay. These products can cause major clogs in your plumbing that cannot be removed with a simple plunger. Ensure that all women in your household understand the importance of placing these items in an appropriate receptacle.
When you are working on any kind of plumbing project you always need a backup person. This is because when working with water you never know when an emergency can happen and that second pair of hands can come in very useful! This can even be an unskilled person who can follow directions.
If your work is outdoors pace yourself and don't get overexposed to the sun. Being exposed to the sun for too long could damage your skin or make you dehydrated and you might be too busy to notice it.
If your kitchen sink sprayer hose is hard to get out it might be catching the valve underneath the sink. Protect the valve with an insulation foam pipe. Cut the foam pipe in half and place it over the valve. Tape it if you need to. You can repeat this operation on other valves too if they are exposed.
Repair a leaky faucet as quickly as possible. Most leaky faucets are caused by a worn or damaged seal which can easily be replaced but you need to attend to it quickly. A slow leak can waste up to 20 gallons of water per day costing a lot of money in the long run. If the faucet is really old sometimes its worth replacing the entire fixture.
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.
It is never a good thing to be unprepared if a plumbing problem should occur. All homeowners should have some basic plumbing tools they should also be aware of a few plumbing tips. When the time comes for you to deal with a plumbing problem hopefully the advice from this article will see you through it.