Homeowners who have no significant knowledge of plumbing can have a headache trying to figure out how to fix their plumbing. Professional plumbers usually have a waiting list, and can be extremely expensive for minor repairs that could be taken care of without that much trouble. Continue reading to learn some tips which should make your plumbing projects easy to tackle in the future.
Avoiding frozen pies is easy if you ensure no area of your house ever falls below freezing and that any pipes which are exposed to such temperatures are protected with insulation. Obviously, if it is below freezing outdoors, the pipes will be subjected to the same temperatures. Even in the best case scenario, it will take hours for thawing to happen before you have running water again. In the worst case, the pipes would burst, and you would be stuck with costly repairs and a very messy cleanup procedure.
If a water pipe freezes, you should turn the on tap that is nearest to the pipe to ensure the water has a place to get out when the pipe thaws out. This can relieve the pipe pressure that could cause bursting and further home damage.
Get to know the tools and how they are used for the most success in plumbing. Study before any do it yourself project by reading any relevant manuals, going online and even making trips to your local public library. Before undertaking repairs on your own, you should have a plan; otherwise, a mistake could make repairs even more costly.
Use a strainer over your sink drain to catch food and other bits of material. Otherwise, you will likely get a clogged drain. The strainer in the kitchen sink should be cleaned each time you have large particles trapped in it. Bathtubs should be equipped with strainers as well, and they too will need to be cleaned regularly.
To make sure your garbage disposal last a long time, clean it regularly. In order to keep it clean, you can use a mixture of dish soap, cherry pits and lemon rinds which will keep the disposal running smooth and smelling fresh.
When running your garbage disposal, always use a lot of cold water. The cold water will help keep the blades nice and sharp and will allow for a much smoother disposal. Avoid using hot water, as this will liquefy grease, causing it to build up in the drain and obstruct your pipes.
Don’t skimp on quality when it comes to replacing a shower head. Most times, people tend to think that it is alright to purchase the most inexpensive shower head they could find. Cheap shower heads have a tendency to break easily, so make sure you get what you pay for.
As you can see, plumbing problems don’t have to be so difficult. If you can solve the problem yourself, you can save time waiting for a plumber, as well as saving a whole lot of money. Try applying what you’ve learned from this article next time you have a plumbing problem!