If youve ever hired a professional plumber for something simple you know how expensive and annoying the experience can be. If youd 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 choosing a plumber make sure he is insured and licensed. This is very important. If there is a plumbing emergency you want to make sure the plumber has met the training requirements of the state. If he is insured this covers any accidental damage done while fixing your plumbing.
Use the sounds you hear from your pipes to help you to determine what they problem is. Certain sounds mean the water pressure is too high. Other sounds can signify loose pipes or slight clogs from calcium or iron build up. Listening to your pipes can save you a lot of money hunting down the problem.
There are many ways to unclog a drain. You can try plunging it at first. If that doesnt work try using a chemical agent from the store. Before you go and spend money at the store though if you have baking soda and some vinegar handy you can mix those together and pour them in the drain and try to plunge that but if all else fails they have stronger remedies at your local hardware store.
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.
When you replace your shower head be sure that the replacement head is high quality. People try to save money by buying the least expensive shower head that is out there. Cheap shower heads can break much more easily.
During the warm seasons you will see that there will be many bird nests forming in and around your plumbing vent pipes. It is essential to clear these out as they can have a devastating effect on the quality of your plumbing and the flow of water in your home.
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.
If sewage is backed up in your toilet its most likely the result of a sever blockage of the branch line that connects the sewage line and main line. A professional can help if you cant clear the problem yourself. They will use a plumbing snake to get rid of the clog.
Plumbing can be an advanced highly technical profession where more often than not you need an experts help. However sometimes that is not the case and there are some simple do it yourself home fixes. If you take a little time to read about them you will find some of the most common plumbing problems are able to be handled by the common man.