Content author-Starr Hull

When you think of plumbing, do you just see it as a hidden and mysterious network of pipes and pumps that makes your toilets and sinks work? If so, then you are very unlikely to have a go at mauntaining or repairing the system. Plumbing is not actually that complicated, and there are many things that you can do yourself to maintain and repair your system. Read on to find out how.







Solder with safety in mind. When you solder a copper pipe you want to direct the flame on the copper pipe. The flame of the torch has to be four inches away from the piping. The flame should be targeted directly at the point where the copper piping needs to be disconnected.

Routinely check your appliance connections and faucets around the house for any kind of obvious leaks or nearby signs of moisture. Not only do even the smallest leaks lead to a large waste of water and money, they also can lead to damage to your home or even the development of harmful molds.

Find a better way to discard of cooking oil instead of pouring it down the drain where it can easily clog your pipes. Keep hot water heater repair or replace can or other metal container handy to pour grease into after cooking. Place the can in the freezer to harden the grease and when it's full, discard it with the trash.

Check your gas water heater periodically to make sure the pilot flame is lit. The correct color for this flame should be blue. The tip of the flame should be yellow. If you find that you are only seeing a yellow flame, you may need to call a professional for safety reasons.

Making sure you know all of your problems so you can have them fixed by one plumber visit is very beneficial. Having them all fixed in one visit takes a lot of money off of your bill because you don't have to pay for the visit multiple times so make sure you make a list first.

If water is not coming to the dishwasher, you most likely have a blockage somewhere. You will need to turn off the water supply and remove the hose that leads to the dishwasher. After securing the hose, turn the water back on. See if it feeds into a bowl. If not, then you must find the block where it is at which may include removing more piping.

In order to keep your garbage disposal in optimal working condition, run it on a regular basis. Just a simple 60 seconds per day under cold water can keep it running clean and smooth. If not run regularly, your disposal can be susceptible to corrosion that will eventually make it inoperable.

Correct low water pressure problems caused by sediment buildup by cleaning the aerator. First, you need to remove the aerator, and then take it apart and clean it using a small brush that has been dipped in vinegar. Wash it off, put it back together and connect the aerator to the faucet. This technique causes the water pressure to rise via the removing of any blockage within the aerator.

One costly plumbing repair is frozen pipes. This problem is easily avoided. Make sure that any outdoor pipes are well insulated. In addition, as the weather turns colder, make it a point to drain and detach your hoses. Finally, turn off the faucet located outside. You can avoid future plumbing repairs by doing this, and therefore, saving you a lot of money.

If you have a water pressure or fill problem throughout the whole house, do not panic. It could be the simplest of solutions. Sometimes the city flushes their systems, breaking up debris and sending it to homes. This requires cleaning drains effectively and strainers in order to resolve the problem.

Make sure that the temperature of your home's water heater is not above 120F. On http://ismael6felix.blogkoo.com/find-a-plumber-to-...ely-fix-your-troubles-30019287 , be sure it is not above medium settings. When temperatures get higher than 120, scalding can occur. Also, having the settings above 120F, tends to use more energy than lower temperatures do.

Consult your Department of Consumer Affair if you're looking to hire a plumbing contractor. You should verify that they hold a valid licence and look over any bad feedback filed against them. They need to have a valid license, or they should not do any work in homes.

When getting plumbing quotes for your home, make sure you receive them in writing. Your quote should have the material and labor costs so that both parties know what to expect from the job. If St Augustine contractors to install water heater do not get it in writing, when the job starts, you have nothing to fall back on.

The toilet should never be leaking, so make sure. Try dropping a little food coloring in the tank. Then, observe the bowl. If the water turns the same color as the food coloring, you know there is some sort of leak that must be fixed right away.

To avoid water damage to walls in the kitchen, make sure all seams in your counter tops and back splash are properly sealed using a waterproof silicone. Silicone will dry out over time, crack and shrink and should be replaced once every three years. Keeping your silicone in good shape will keep kitchen spills where they belong and not running down the walls.

Avoid flushing cotton balls, cotton swabs and any feminine sanitary products down the toilet. Even small panty liners can cause big problems because their adhesive backing can stick to pipes and cause stoppages. Keep a small, covered wastebasket next to the toilet to encourage guests to properly dispose of used sanitary articles.

To prevent hair from clogging your drains, install strainers in each tub and shower to capture the hairs before they can go down the drain. When combined with soap build-up, hair can bring your drains to a complete standstill, so it's important to prevent the hairs from reaching the pipes in the first place.

Never pour grease of any kind down your kitchen drains, especially grease from animal sources, which tends to harden rather quickly. The grease can congeal in your pipes and cause disastrous clogs and back-ups. It's better to dispose of grease in the trash to keep your drains flowing well.

So, now do you see why plumbing is such an exciting endeavor? Creating your own skills, learning to take care of your system, and being able to fix it yourself to save money is very exciting. The tips above should have created a good foundation for you to build upon and do your own plumbing jobs easily.