Plumbing that is in good working order is a critical component of a clean, safe, and happy household. However, sometimes your plumbing will need attention and calling a plumber may not be a viable option due to costs or time of the year. In this article, you will find several excellent pieces of advice that will help you improve, maintain, or fix your plumbing.
You need to insulate any pipes have exposure to outside elements to avoid them freezing. You should also keep the temperature in the home above freezing to avoid your pipes freezing. Pipes have the potential to freeze if the surrounding temperatures are below the freezing mark. If pipes do freeze, the best possible scenario would include taking time for the pipes to thaw and any frozen water to drain. However, they could burst, and that could make a mess and result in a big repair bill.
Avoid septic tank problems by having your tank pumped out in five year intervals. Doing so avoids sediment build up, so that you don’t have any kind of septic system backup. Hiring a professional to pump out your septic tank is costly, but it is far preferable to the damages that could be incurred if the tank becomes backed-up or inoperative.
Never try to fix a garbage disposal by putting your hand down into it. Garbage disposals can be dangerous, even when they are turned off. Use a guide or the Internet to locate a blueprint of your disposal, or a troubleshooting manual.
Check the floor for soft areas around the toilet to determine floor damage. Straddle the toilet and rock from one foot to the other to see if you feel any weakening or “softness” in the floor beneath you. Early detection of the problem may save you a great deal of money over time.
Try to avoid putting things like fat, oils and grease down the sink drain. Grease hardens when it cools and will clog your pipes. If the sink has a garbage disposal, it will also make the blades less efficient. Be sure to get rid of oil products away from your sink.
If your home has a well for water and there are pink or orange stains in the sinks and tubs, this could be due to high iron content in your water. You will need a water softener in order to take care of this problem, which you could purchase at a local store, or hire someone to go to your home and fix it for you.
Make sure a new shower head is of high quality. People usually opt for a cheap shower head instead of a quality product. The disadvantage to doing so is that these models are not highly durable and easily break.
As this article helped point out, there are numerous ways you can choose to fix plumbing on your own. If you use the tips you’ve read here, you’ll be able to solve any emergency and even install your own plumbing for new fixtures without the aid of a professional!