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Handy DIY Plumbing Tips For The Homeowner
Handy DIY Plumbing Tips For The Homeowner
Taking a step into the wondrous and complex land of plumbing for the very first time might feel a bit daunting. However by keeping the helpful tips listed below in mind you will soon find yourself plumbing on par with some of the best plumbers in the field and maintaining your own easily.
Do not use the liquid cleaning supplies that are designed to clear clogs. These cleaners are harmful and can damage your pipes as they clear the clog. Instead of using damaging liquids use a plunger or a plumbing snake. These are much more effective and will not harm pipes.
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.
Check your faucets for leaks. Check the knobs and the faucet itself. Hundreds of gallons of water a day can be wasted due to leaks and thats not good if youre paying your water bill. By stopping a leak now you can save yourself a lot of money. Leaks can grow over time as well so avoid a disaster and check all faucets for leaks!
Install screen traps or drain covers on all of your sinks and tub drains. Most home plumbing calls are about clogged pipes. These can be caused by debris especially hair washing down the drains. Putting in a trap means that you can clean this debris off before it ends up in the pipes.
If your toilet gets clogged your plunger is not fixing it and your water level inside of the toilet appears low you can sometimes fix the problem by dumping warm water into your toilet at waist level (or maybe even a little higher). Once the water level gets low again repeat the process.
Have your pipes in your plumbing system frozen? You can skip the cost of hiring a plumber by using this method. First open the faucet so steam produced by the thawing process can escape. Begin thawing close to the faucet and move down the line as each section thaws out. Use a hair dryer or a heat lamp to warm along the pipe. Even though this method consumes quite a bit of time it is safer than most other heating methods. Furthermore it requires no cleanup.
Before you can fix a toilet that does not flush properly it is important that you find out what is causing the problem. Depending on what the problem is you may be able to fix it yourself. However more complicated toilet flushing problems may require the services of a plumber.
Do not place items in the toilets that do not belong there. For example if you are a female do not throw away sanitary pads or tampons in your toilet. This could cause severe damage to your toilet that could require a plumber or even worse a whole new toilet!
In conclusion it is important to know what to watch out for so that you do not find yourself underwater when it comes to plumbing issues. Use the great advice provided to you in this article and you will be glad that you took the extra few minutes to further your knowledge.
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