Plumbing skills are an advantageous addition to anyone’s skill set. You can take pride in being able to tackle problems as they arise, and you can stop trouble with proper maintenance. That is a commendable goal. It is one of those complex, expanding sets of skills that can continually be added upon with new techniques and methods. Below are a few tips that will help you out.
To keep your pipes from getting frozen, always maintain a temperature in the house above freezing and make sure all pipes exposed to outside elements are insulated properly. Your pipes can freeze if temperatures around them fall below freezing. Even in the best case scenario, it will take hours for thawing to happen before you have running water again. On the other hand, they can burst, which gets messy and really expensive.
If you discover a frozen water pipe, turn on a nearby faucet so that thawed ice has a place to go. This gives the pressure somewhere to go, and can keep them from bursting.
Wait until a job is done before you pay for it. You may have to pay a portion of the cost before the plumber works on the job, but you should never have to pay in full until after everything has been correctly finished. It is good to know that the plumber did everything as promised before he gets his money.
Avoid the use of products for your toilet that help with odor, such as bleach tablets. While they are good at removing odors, they have a detrimental effect on the parts of the toilet that are rubber. This can make it not function correctly and may even break it.
Never reach into a garbage disposal that you think isn’t working. Garbage disposals pose a serious risk, even when flipped off. It’s advised to obtain a diagram, possibly off of the Internet, that depicts your machine in accurate detail.
Use filters on all drains to prevent debris that might clog the pipes from getting through. Clean out the one in the kitchen whenever there’s something trapped there that shouldn’t be. Kitchen filters should be changed often, while bathtub filters can be changed as needed.
To make sure your garbage disposal last a long time, clean it regularly. You can prevent annoying odors and promote smooth operation by setting up a regular cleaning routine with lemon rinds, dish soap, and even cherry pits.
Kitchen Sink
If you have any water in your dishwasher that should not be there, check the connection on your kitchen sink. The hose leading from the kitchen sink to the dishwasher must lead uphill and then back downhill in order to prevent mixing of water from both devices.
Use enzyme based cleaners when cleaning clogged pipes. These will utilize natural bacteria to transform sludge into a liquid that can be removed. Cleaners containing enzymes are some of the best you can buy.
Lint Trap
Clean your dryer’s lint trap. This not only prevents fires, but saves money. Inspect your lint trap often to see if there are any tears or holes. If there are, you can have lint getting into your pipes, and this will clog them and give you more problems that will have to be dealt with.
Taking preventative measures means you will not have to spend as much on plumbing repairs. Drain clogs can be expensive and are actually a major repair, one of the most common ones, too. Drains can be clogged by hair. You can prevent this from occurring by using a drain cover or a screen that is meant to keep the hair out of the drain and pipes. Getting the hair off the screen is much simpler than removing it from the pipe.
You may have already had the tools and the time, but now you have a new set of knowledge and a few additional tips to use on your plumbing network! This should help you with your problems. The advice you just read probably improved your plumbing skills even more, as there’s no such thing as too much knowledge, and when it comes plumbing, learning is a never-ending process. You just might find a new favorite tip for your plumbing work.
