Learn To Plumb On Your Own With These Tips
Do you want to make improvements or repairs to your home's plumbing? Would you like to know how to deal with an emergency? Dealing with issues related to plumbing can be complicated. Whether you are doing it yourself or hiring someone, there are a lot of things you need to be aware of. Here are some useful facts and tips.
Use the sounds you hear from your pipes to help you to determine what they problem is. Certain sounds mean the water pressure is too high. Other sounds can signify loose pipes or slight clogs from calcium or iron build up. Listening to your pipes can save you a lot of money hunting down the problem.
Use the sounds you hear from your pipes to help you to determine what they problem is. Certain sounds mean the water pressure is too high. Other sounds can signify loose pipes or slight clogs from calcium or iron build up. Listening to your pipes can save you a lot of money hunting down the problem.
Save money by getting better shower heads. Most of our hot water is used in the shower. When you install energy-efficient heads in each bathroom, you will save around 100 dollars or more per shower.
Avoid putting grease, fat, and other oils down your drain. Grease hardens when it cools and will clog your pipes. Oils are especially damaging to garbage disposals. Dump your oil outside or in a container that you throw out with the regular trash.
To avoid wasting water and having a potentially high water bill, check your home for leaky faucets periodically. Fix any leaks that you find right away. You may be able to do the repair yourself, but if not, you may have to seek the services of a plumber to make the repairs.
Try to avoid the use of dry cleaners as often as you can. There are some harsh, corrosive chemicals found in these drain cleaners. That's why they work so well to knock out clogs. Over time, they will corrode your pipes. Rather than using cleaners, hire a professional to look at your clogged drain.
Regular maintenance of your plumbing lines is a great idea. Your options are getting your lines snaked or jetted. Jetted is a technology that is proven more effective than snaking is. It gets deeper and cleans harder. So jetting is a good idea next time you are having maintenance performed on your lines.
Before the cold season hits, check out the condition of your gutters on the roof of your house. Remove all debris, leaves and branches so here that you can have a smooth flow of water and easy drainage. Caretaking in advance will help to prevent serious issues with plumbing down the road.
You may not have a choice when selecting a plumber for your residence, but you can look them up and view their credentials. In some cases, your insurance company may select a plumber for you, but you can still research the company online.
When plunging a drain to attempt to remove a blockage, first make sure that the drain is completely covered in water. This helps to form a seal. Then, plunge at least fifteen to twenty times before stopping. Repeat the process two to three times. If this doesn't work, try a chemical drain cleaner.
If something is wrong with the disposal in your sink, avoid the temptation to stick your hand in there to fix it. Even if the disposal is turned off, it can still be hazardous. Go online and search for sketch of your disposal, or a troubleshooter.
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.
Hopefully this article helped you learn a little bit more about your plumbing and how to stop issues before they start. By learning and knowing, like was discussed in this article, you can be sure to save a few dollars every year. Plumbing disasters can cost a lot of money, so use this advice well!
How to get a decent plumber without going round the U-bend
Finding the valves
You can also search for reputable tradesmen in England and Wales via the Association of Plumbing and Heating Contractors (APHC) and in Scotland and Northern Ireland through SNIPEF.
John Thompson, the chief executive of the APHC, says there really is no need to stick with the first available plumber that you stumble on.
"If you feel pressurised into accepting work without a full explanation, have the confidence to question or get a second opinion. Also check if the tradesmen has the right credentials to work on your appliances," he says.
Mind you, if water is pouring, or even just dripping from the ceiling, you will need to try and isolate the problems to minimise damage before the plumber arrives.
For major leaks, turn off the water supply at the main stop tap, usually in the kitchen. You might need to resort to turning off the water company tap at the boundary of the property. Older ones may also turn off your neighbour's supply.
Smaller internal leaks can be stopped using local isolation valves - usually next to the appliance or tap concerned. These may be less familiar to older consumers as they take the form of levers or are just turned with a screwdriver.
On a combi boiler the isolation valve will be located underneath the boiler.
Ian Ruddick
Image caption,
Turning the thermostat up too suddenly can push your boiler over the edge, says Ian Puddick
Lagging
Ian Puddick is the founder of the London Boiler Company. His team is well used to being called out to replace worn out boilers which give up the ghost when they are pushed too hard.
"What happens is that all of a sudden people turn the thermostat up, but this pushes your boiler over the edge," he says.
"Also where you have tanks in the loft, check the little one to see that it's full of water. These can work with little in them for years, but when you turn the temperature up it drives the system a bit harder and then it stops."
Mr Puddick also has a helpful tip for avoiding a big freeze in your loft.
"Once you have checked all your pipes and tanks are lagged, protected and covered, check underneath the water tank. If there's some insulation there just pull it out and leave that area clear so heat can rise and protect the tank."
Emergency repairs are costly. So to avoid being fleeced by an opportunist plumber, it's worth getting your pipes and systems checked and serviced by a reputable engineer before temperatures drop once again.