It is a common occurrence after you purchase a home to eventually see plumbing problems start to crop up. A lot of the time, problems start in the kitchen or bathroom. Unfortunately, you should expect that plumbing issues can arise at any given time. Following is some advice to guide you when that occurs.
Understanding how your tools work can give you a tremendous boost when plumbing. Read each and every manual, and utilize the information that can be found in libraries and the Internet about do-it-yourself projects. Make sure you plan before you try any kind of repair, as it can be costly to fix a mistake.
You should avoid using blue toilet tablets, bleach tablets or any other odor removers in your toilet. These tablets have chemicals that can damage rubber parts that are essential to the proper functioning of your toilet.
If the water in your toilet is low along with the toilet being clogged, pour some extra water in the bowl to make the plunger effective again. Once the water is lower, do this again.
Don’t pour cooking grease, leftover frying fat or any oils down your sink drain. Grease hardens when it cools and will clog your pipes. Even with a garbage disposal, you are going to cause it to be less efficient and risk drain backups. Pour the grease and oil into a can to cool, put it in the trash.
To keep your garbage disposal lasting for a long time, make sure you clean it on a daily basis. By having a regular cleaning routine, which includes a combination of lemon rinds, dish soap and even pits from a cherry, your disposal can be kept smelling fresh and running smoothly for many years to come.
Schedule your plumbing jobs all together. 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. Another reason it lowers costs is that plumbers bill per hour worked, and due to partial hour effects, doing all the work at once results in lower billable hours.
Should you spot unexpected water draining inside the dishwasher, you will probably need to check that the hose from the kitchen sink has been installed correctly. The hose connecting the sink the the dishwasher should be at an uphill angle and then downhill to prevent the water from mixing.
To lessen the chances of toilet problems, do not use as a place to put trash. Never flush paper towels, tissue, diapers, or tampons. These things do not break up correctly and can clog your pipes. Also, use as little toilet paper as possible to clean yourself properly.
Calling a plumber for every issue will add up to a huge bill, so it’s important to deal with small plumbing issues yourself as they arise. If you own a home, you should have some basic plumbing equipment, and the knowledge of how to use it. Avoid a huge plumbing issue by learning to handle the smaller issues as they occur.