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Plumbing Tips That Can Save You A Fortune
Plumbing Tips That Can Save You A Fortune
Plumbing is a lot more that just fixing a leak under the sink. It is truly a huge system that needs to be maintained. It has so many techniques and equipment that require research and hard work. Do you have what it takes? Regardless of your answer here are some tips to help you.
Find a plumber that you can trust. Make sure to get referrals from friends and family so that you can prevent getting ripped off which happens often. Also make sure not to pay the plumber before the work is completed. If you do that there will not be an incentive to get the job completed in a timely manner.
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.
Do not pour grease or oil down any of your household drains. Put them in containers and place in the fridge until they are solid then throw them away. If you pour them down the drain they can solidify in cold pipes. These solid masses will clog your pipes and are very difficult to remove.
Have you tried patching your pipe with the store-bought patching kits only to have that section of your plumbing continue leaking? Replacing the damaged pipe is a more permanent solution than patching. First you must shut off the main water valve and drain the water from the damaged section. Cut out the damaged section of the copper pipe leaving about an inch of extra pipe on both sides of the damaged area. Remove corrosion from inside the pipes with a wire brush. Apply flux to the replacement pipe and the remaining pipe. Slide the piece of replacement pipe into place with couplings. Apply solder all around the joint and use a propane torch to solder the replacement section into place.
Sometimes you have to make the choice between replacing or repairing. If you have an old appliance that uses a lot of water or electricity it may be best to replace. Sure it will cost more initially but it will save you money in the long run. The other thing is you cant be sure how well a repair will work out whereas with a new appliance youll at least get a guarantee.
Avoid using harsh chemicals to clear clogged drains by purchasing a hand-held manual auger. A drain auger is a one-time purchase as opposed to purchasing a new bottle every time a drain is clogged. This is especially helpful for people who deal with clogged drains often such as people with long hair or kids who like to drop things down the drain.
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.
When you wash your hands be sure that you have not left any soap on the faucet handles. What people do not know is that leaving soap on these fixtures can cause fixtures to corrode. Just take two seconds after you are done washing your hands to remove excess soap from the handles.
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.
If you are going to update the plumbing in your house one thing to consider is installing a new tank-less water heater. They are much smaller than traditional tank heaters which is a space-saver. Tank-less water heaters are available in gas or electric depending on what your house needs.
Plumbing should only be done by professionals if there is a major problem or if you do not understand plumbing. Many of the big problems that plumbers deal with actually have simple solutions. The average person who does not understand the intricacies of plumbing usually end up compounding the problem by causing other costly damage to the house during the failed repair. The plumber will need to be called in the end anyway.
Keep an eye on the grout between tiles in your bathroom. Watch for cracks and areas where the grout seems to be falling out and repair them immediately. Small grout crack issues can be easily repaired by pulling out the bad and putting in new grout. Allow any new grout to dry completely before exposing it to water.
If you cannot turn off your main water valve before leaving on vacation turn off the individual valves for the toilets sinks and washing machine. If the valves do not look like they are in good working order then leave them on and that will be something that you need to have changed when you return.
When facing temperatures below freezing in the winter it is important to leave the hot water dripping. This makes sure that the pipes don't freeze over and saves you the expensive repair of fixing and or entirely replacing a broken pipe. The slight cost of dripping hot water is well worth saving you from that large expense of replacing a broken pipe.
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.
If you are having any kind of problems with your water line or plumbing in general then you will first want to cut of your water supply. One of the most common mistakes that people make is to leave their water running while they are trying to fix things and this leads to bigger problems.
Many people complain of low water pressure. While there are several things that can cause this one must not be overlooked when starting your investigation. What kind of pipes do you have? If your piping is galvanized you are better off just replacing your piping which will eliminate the issue.
As you can see plumbing problems don't have to be so difficult. If you can solve the problem yourself you can save time waiting for a plumber as well as saving a whole lot of money. Try applying what you've learned from this article next time you have a plumbing problem!
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