Welcome to the often confusing and overwhelming business of home plumbing. As you are about to read, there are many techniques, skills and equipment one must have in order to successfully do a plumbing job. There is so much information available, so it can be difficult to know where to start. That’s why this article is here, though. It will help you navigate the wonderful world of plumbing.
Avoid placing fat, grease, and other oils into your drain. Grease hardens when it cools and will clog your pipes. This is especially the case if you possess a garbage disposal; fats and oils cause blades to run less efficiently and slow. To keep your drain running efficiently, dispose of fats and oils in other ways besides pouring them down the drain.
If you have a well at your home and notice pink or orange stains around the drains of your tub or sink, this is most likely caused by an excess of iron in your water. Luckily, you can quickly fix this by adding some water softener to your supply. You can pick up this product at a lot of stores, or have it shipped out to you.
Have all the plumbing repairs done in one visit. Rather than calling a plumber every time there is a minor problem, taking care of everything at once allows you to save money for additional repairs down the road. Another reason it lowers costs is that plumbers bill per hour worked, and due to partial hour effects, doing all the work at once results in lower billable hours.
Check to make sure that overflow holes are not clogged up. These overflow holes are present in case of a clog or overfilling. It may seem unlikely as a problem now, but the necessity is there. Clean the overflow holes when you can, like when doing periodic checks for various other repairs and problems.
Remember that your toilet is not intended to be used to dispose of trash. Keep away from flushing improper items down the toilet, like cotton balls, diapers, paper towels, or feminine hygiene products. These types of items can clog your toilet as they do not dissolve. Also, use as little toilet paper as possible to clean yourself properly.
Enzyme-based cleaners are the best bet for unclogging stubborn clogged pipes. These will utilize natural bacteria to transform sludge into a liquid that can be removed. Some of the finest cleaners are enzyme cleaners.
Prevention is vital for avoiding costly repairs to your plumbing. Drain clogs are a common plumbing issue and sometimes expensive to repair when they are not addressed promptly. This is because pipes can retain and trap hair, and other particles, very easily. Use a drain cover to keep hair and other elements from going down your pipes. Cleaning hair from the screen is a much easier affair than it would be to get the hair out of the pipe.
There are a lot of different ways to keep your plumbing running smoothly. Although there are methods and techniques available to enhance any home’s plumbing system, not all of these methods and techniques are appropriate for every home. The tips in this article should have handed you a great starting point for your plumbing system.
