Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Tips And Tricks For All Your Plumbing Needs


If you are looking for information on the various plumbing problems, whether you are doing some home maintenance on your own or someone else's home, this article will provide you with the information you need. If you try and accomplish these tasks without any knowledge, your end product will wind up a disaster and a waste of time.

Frozen and bursting pipes from harsh winter weather is a problem that no-one wants, so plan now to winterize your exterior faucets and pipes against freezing conditions. A simple way to accomplish this is to find the exterior water shut-off valve located inside your home (often located in the basement). Turn off the water valve to stop water flow, and then open up the outside faucets to drain out any water that has collected. Be sure to turn off the outside water faucets tightly after the water has drained out. Take in any hoses you may have outside so they don't crack from the cold weather.

Believe it or not, it is not a very good idea to use a plunger if your toilet is clogged. Plungers just push whatever is stuck deeper into the drain. Instead, it is a better idea to use a closet auger. It will do a better job and is affordable.

You need to winter-proof your house. You have to make sure you switch of the master circuit breaker or the shut-off valve before you leave your house. Since one small hole or congested water can quickly freeze and cause pipes to break and expand, you need to drain and open all outdoor and household water lines.

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.

One of the most inexpensive plumbing issues is a running toilet. Simply by understanding how a toilet actually functions is the first best tool in avoiding a running toilet. If you understand the function of the lever and floater, you will be able to fix any running toilet in no time.

Learn early what type of faucet you have and learn how to handle common issues that may arise with it. There are four basic faucet types: compression, cartridge, disc, and ball. If you know ahead of time what you have and how to fix it, you will save yourself some major frustrations down the road.

Try to limit the amount of hair that goes down your drains. Hair can become tangled up in the pipe and end up blocking up the them, preventing water from flowing smoothly. Buy a cheap screened drain cover to put over your drain to stop any hair from going down and clean it off regularly.

With the proper knowledge, you can accomplish plumbing tasks, if you take the time to learn and perform all of the steps correctly. Now that you have the information that you need, in order to accomplish your plumbing needs, don't waste any time trying to fix your plumbing problems.

Img source : memphis.mrrooter.com