Created by-Jespersen Burton

Are you doing your own plumbing for the first time? You probably don't even know where to start. It's no secret that doing your own plumbing for the first time can be a bit overwhelming. Below are some tips that can help to make maintaining your own plumbing a bit smoother.

Before starting any plumbing project on your own be sure to do a great deal of research. There are many resources available to assist you in understanding your plumbing system and help you to avoid many common mistakes made by do-it-yourself novices. Reading about other people's mistakes can make the difference of saving or losing money.




Avoid frozen pipes this winter! Keep a small trickle of water dripping from faucets, and wrap your uninsulated pipes with foam or newspaper. If possible, keep the doors open between unheated and heated rooms. In an unheated area such as a garage or laundry room, keep a small heater next to the pipes. Remember to do this before the first cold snap hits.

Don't put things like fat, oil or grease down your drains. Whenever they cool, they tend to harden and make clogs inside your drains. Oils are especially damaging to garbage disposals. The best thing to do is to dispose of oil-based liquids away from your sinks.

Unclog drains with ease. Try using source web page and drain cleaner, as your clog may simply be a build-up of hair and debris. If this doesn't work you may have to clear the drain with a snake. Feed the snake into the drain line as far as it will go. Turn the crank gently, which will help to loosen the clog. Remove the snake, and run water down the drain to see if the clog has been removed. You may have to use the snake a couple of times, before the clog is cleared so don't give up!

Make sure a new shower head is of high quality. Many times people try to save money and buy the cheapest one that they see. Cheap shower heads have a tendency to break easily, so make sure you get what you pay for.

Schedule your plumbing work simultaneously. If a problem is minor, it can be wise to put off repair until you have more than one item to fix. This also gives you time to save up for the needed repairs. It can also save money since most plumbers will charge you by the hour. Coming out just once will cut down on the time it takes, making your bill smaller.

If click here now are unable to relieve a clogged toilet with a plunger, try pouring a small bucket of water into the bowl from about waist level if the level of water in the bowl is low. This procedure can be repeated if the water level again returns to a level that is too low.

For people who live in an apartment complex, plumbing is often forgotten about. The first time they move into a home they are unable to resolve any minor plumbing problems, because they have never dealt with this kind of thing. It is good to get a basic understanding when moving into your first house.

When water pipes freeze, the damage can be extensive and costly. Normally, you will be able to prevent this issue. The first step is to check your outside pipes and ensure they are well insulated. Before winter hits, turn off the water to the outside faucet and drain and store all of your hoses. You can save money on plumbing bills by doing this.

Teach kids how to shut off the toilet's water supply. Kids are notorious for putting large wads of toilet paper and other things into the toilet, which inevitably leads to the toilet overflowing. Especially if your bathroom has carpet, show kids how to turn the water valve off if the toilet water keeps rising, to prevent the mess of an overflow.

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 waste material comes up the wrong way into your toilet, you have something clogging the works below the street. If you cannot clear the blockage, you will have to contact a professional, who will run a snake along the line to clear it.

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.

You may want to consider tankless water heaters if you want to conserve water in your home. These kind of water heaters heat up your water as soon as it is being used, so you are not wasting energy on keeping your water hot when it is not being used.

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.

Check for leaks behind the wall tile in your bathroom, especially any tile surrounding your bathtub, by gently pressing each tile and feeling for some give. If you find any mushy or soft spots, you will need to find the source of the leak and repair it to prevent further damage.

If you start seeing wet spots or water drops on any walls, it is critical that you shut your main water supply down and get a plumber out as fast as possible. This is an indication that there is serious problem with your plumbing. Many initially small problems can lead to hazardous mold, mildew or flooding.

When you are snaking out your drain, always make sure that you use a mask to cover your face. You will be pulling up all sorts of chemicals that you do not want to inhale or get on your skin. Practice safe plumbing if you desire to optimize your health.

In conclusion, it is important that you know how to take care of plumbing, but it is more important that you get your data from a reliable source. Use the great advice provided here and you will be more than happy that you took the time to do so.