Content written by-Ravn Pontoppidan

Did you know that you can use the same antifreeze that you use in your car to help prevent your home plumbing from freezing? To find out how and why, as well as other great tips for how to maintain your home plumbing, read the following article right away.

As the weather begins to get cold, attend to all of your exposed pipes by adding insulation to them. Pay particular attention to pipes located in crawl spaces and the outside walls of your residence. Taking this step will help ensure that your pipes continue to function throughout the winter.

On very cold winter nights, allow your faucets to trickle slightly, especially if your pipes are located in a crawlspace. The running water prevents the pipes from freezing as quickly as they would otherwise. You can catch the water and use it for other household needs to prevent wasting it.

Make sure you get a good recommendation or check the references before you hire a plumber. With good recommendations, it will assure that you are hiring an experienced plumber. If the experienced plumber is professional, he will have a fully stocked truck and be able to complete most small jobs in one visit.

When concerned with plumbing, you need to know what can cause noisy pipes. This is important because it can mean the difference between an annoying noise and flooding in your house. Do your research to distinguish between the different noises and hire a professional if any serious risk is posed.

Your water heater works more during the fall and winter so make sure that you eliminate all sediment buildup around this piece of equipment. Flushing this device can lead to increased longevity so that you do not face plumbing problems during the winter. This precaution will save time, money and effort.







While it may seem like a seemingly harmless thing to do, never run potato peels through your garbage disposal. The chemical make up of this seemingly harmless food allows the potato to turn into a thick, viscous substance that can wreak havoc on the disposal itself, with the potential to render it completely useless.

Make sure you clean out overflow holes in your kitchen and bathroom sinks on a regular basis. These holes are intended to act as an emergency fail-safe to prevent spillage from a full sink, but if they are clogged they can't do their job. You can clean out an overflow hole using the same techniques you would for a clogged drain.

One of the things that you can do to safeguard your home from any serious plumbing issues is to install a flood alarm. This is a device that will sound when it comes in contact with water, alerting you if there are any issues in a particular area in the house.

When looking for a plumber, you have quite a few options. Ask friends for recommendations of who they use. Check online for plumbers with good reviews and references. Use your yellow pages and look under "Plumbing Contractors" or "Plumbing, Drain and Sewer Cleaning". Make sure that you contact more than one plumber before making a choice.

If water is flowing out from where your meter is located, a professional is required to come out and fix the leak. If your water bill goes up, this is most likely because the leak is on the house side of the water meter. You will need to get a professional to come out and fix the leak.

Heat up frozen pipes carefully if they have frozen. In colder regions, pipes placed closest to outer walls and ceilings could freeze if not properly insulated. Use hot rags, hot water, a blow dryer or similar heat source. Start heating at a place nearest the tap, then work backwards.

Check your faucets outdoors for drips before the first winter freeze. If you find a problem, you need to move quickly to repair it, lest the faucet crack. No matter what material your pipes are constructed from, the additional pressure that results from freezing water will crack them. Even a small crack can cause a lot of damages to your home.

Never hire a plumber that is not licensed, insured and bonded. If the plumbing company cannot provide you with reference numbers for their credentials, move on quickly. It is a common question and it should be a no-brainer for them to provide them to you. If they have issues with you asking, take that as a big red flag.

If the water pressure on your street exceeds 60 pounds, you many want to consider installing a pressure reducing valve. commercial plumbing companies is actually harmful to your plumbing system and could cause excess water pressure. A pressure reducing valve cuts down your water pressure by almost 50 percent.

Never try to undertake a project that you are unsure of. Additionally, never call on a friend to help you with something, if they are not a professoinal. There have been hundreds of good friendships ruined by a guy claiming to know exactly what he is doing, when the truth is he is clueless.

When it comes to plumbing a great choice is to invest in brass fittings. Sure, they may be more expensive upfront, however their longevity is amazing compared to the alternatives, so you end up saving money. As an added bonus, the brass fittings look so much better than the other alternatives.

Are you looking for a simple tip to determine if your toilet has a hidden leak? Here is one that is not only simple, it also will not make a big dent in your wallet. Simply add six drops of food coloring into the toilet tank. If your toilet is leaking, color will appear in the bowl within 30 minutes.

Once or twice a year, drain a few inches of water from your water heater using the valve located at the bottom. The water may be rusty-looking or brown, which is the point of this practice; sediment settles to the bottom of the tank and rests there. Flushing some of this sediment from the tank can extend the lifespan of your hot water heater.

Isn't doing your own plumbing a lot of fun? As you have seen in this article, there are a lot of ways this can be done and no two techniques or equipemnt will yield the same results. There are also lots of customizable options that can work with your home and budget.