Number one on my summer home repair suggestions must do with basic first Aid. You should always have an emergency first aid kit at home. Just about everybody thinks that they will stay safe and not become injured if performing these DIY jobs around the house. But accidents still happen.
One of the most common accidents that can happen when DIY home repairs are performed is a clogged drain. And this is what most people call a "no big deal". When a drain gets clogged, gravity takes over and the water continues down the pipe until it finally works its way out. If the pipes are older, this will normally take a little while longer, but it's nothing compared to a modern day clogged drain that can take hours to be cleared up.
Some diy home repair tips suggest that you try to unclog the toilet by using a plunger, however, I would caution you to never put any sort of steel plunging device into a toilet. This can be very dangerous. You can end up cutting yourself open to the body of the toilet and the water valve itself. This is especially true if you don't know how to use the plunger correctly as some people mistakenly do.
One of my other handy diy home repairs includes some great podcasts that cover many different topics. One such podcast covers DIY home repairs and was produced by a company called Master plumbers. This podcast covers many aspects of home improvement and offers step by step guides along the way. One of the topics that they cover in great detail is the toilet. In the podcast, they give some tips on how to unclog a toilet and what you need to have in order to do it.
If you follow the advice that is given in the podcast, you should have no problem unclogging your toilet. However, if you find that you are unable to successfully unclog the toilet yourself, you will want to make sure that you contact a plumbing professional to unclog the toilet for you. The last thing that you would want to do is to damage your plumbing by attempting to do the task yourself. A professional has the right equipment and knows how to use it properly.
In addition, when attempting to unclog the toilet, you will also need a bucket with at least two feet of water. When the plumber is working on your toilet, he will be using a high pressure water jetting tool. This tool is able to blast away large clogs and should be able to clear the toilet in a relatively short period of time. However, keep in mind that this method does require more than a plumber can provide and you may need to bring in other people to help if you cannot get the toilet to drain properly.
Before you can attempt to use either of these methods to unclog a toilet, you will first need to turn the power off to the toilet. After you have turned the power off, you will then disconnect the water line from the wall behind the toilet. Once you have disconnected the water line from the wall behind the toilet, you can safely pull down the drain with the plunger that is attached to the pipe. You will find that the plunger will come up about an inch and should be able to push the plunger down all the way to the bottom of the toilet where the clog is. After the plunger reaches the bottom of the toilet, it will then drop down and release the trapped air.
It is important to remember that if there is any debris that is trapped underneath the drain trap, this will prevent the plunger from doing its job. This includes hair, handkerchiefs, or anything else that may be caught in the pipes. To remove any debris from the pipes, you will need a drain snake. Using a drain snake is one of the best home repair tips for dealing with clogs because it will reach both ends of the drain trap and remove all of the dirt, including the ones that are too large to fit the plunger. After the clog is removed, you will be left with a working toilet that will drain properly.