Valuable Plumbing Information For Any Home Owner
If you’re a home owner unfamiliar with plumbing, you’re probably familiar with the experience of being charged an arm and a leg for what seems like a simple plumbing repair. If you’d like to avoid this experience again, read on for some advice and tips on how to fix your own plumbing.
Check the filters in your furnace, regularly. If these filters have not been cleaned or replaced recently, they may become clogged. This will affect how well your furnace is able to work, meaning that you may not have enough heat during the winter. Take this simple step, as soon as the weather starts to become cold.
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.
If you operate the disposal on your sink, run plenty of cool water. Cold water keeps blades sharp and allows for smoother disposal. If you use hot water it will liquefy the grease, allowing it to accumulate in your drain causing your pipes to clog.
Watch how your toilets are flushing. If you have to jiggle the handle or if it takes too long, you might have to repair some toilet parts. Replacing these parts early may help you to save on your water bills and will save you from more expensive repairs at a later date.
Don’t start any do-it-yourself plumbing project without having a plan in place. You need to know beforehand exactly what you are getting yourself into. Know what kind of space you are working with and what lines are which. Getting a clear picture early on will make your plumbing project go a lot smoother!
Be sure to clean your dryer’s lint trap. This can prevent troubles, including fires. Be certain that you thoroughly inspect the trap to ensure there are no tears or holes that may allow lint to travel to the pipes.
Have your pipes in your plumbing system frozen? You can skip the cost of hiring a plumber by using this method. First, open the faucet so steam produced by the thawing process can escape. Begin thawing close to the faucet, and move down the line as each section thaws out. Use a hair dryer or a heat lamp to warm along the pipe. Even though this method consumes quite a bit of time, it is safer than most other heating methods. Furthermore, it requires no cleanup.
Do not be surprised if a plumber charges you more than you expected. Many customers think that fixing a toilet or other drainage problem should be easy, therefore the price should be low. You must remember that not only does a plumber have to charge for labor, but they have to charge for parts that you need.
Plumbing isn’t as hard as it can seem, when you have access to good information and advice about how to go about solving your own plumbing problems. Next time you have plumbing problems in your house, try applying the tips from this article and see if you can save some money by solving it yourself!