Category Archives: Home Improvement

Plumbing Woes Got You Down? Read This! 4

September 02, 2024   Matt

Plumbing Woes Got You Down? Read This!

If you know absolutely nothing about plumbing and are just dreading a day when the pipes in your home may burst, you need to read this article, which contains numerous tips that will both inform you and ease your mind. Read on for a comprehensive list of solid plumbing advice.

For the most effective plunger to use on a toilet, choose one with a flange that sticks out from the end and fits into the hole in the bottom of the bowl. These typically work better than the classic cup-style plungers, since they create a tighter seal in the drain.

Make sure that when you are doing any home improvements to your plumbing that they are done up to the building codes in your area. The building codes are there to protect people from being scalded by hot water, trap harmful sewer gas from entering the home, and ensure plumbing is done properly before finishes are applied.

You should drain all of the water out of the tank of your hot water heater at least once every three to six months. Draining all of the water out of the tank helps to prevent sediment build-up at the bottom of the tank. This sediment can cause the tank to bang or to heat less efficiently.

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.

Use a shop vacuum to unplug your toilets or drains, if a hard object is clogging it. Using a plunger will only push the object further and make it impossible to remove. If you do not have a shop vacuum, you can rent one from most Walmart stores or from similar franchises.

The next time you have a clogged drain, avoid the simple solution of dumping drain-clearing chemicals into the pipes. While this method involves the least amount of effort, the chemicals in these liquid cleaners are destructive to your piping. Instead, consider using a little bit of elbow grease with a plunger, snake, or other device designed to clear your clog without chemicals.

Make sure you allow a slow drip over the night when you experience the coldest of winter weather. A general rule to follow is, if there is snow on the ground, leave the water dripping. This keeps a constant flow and reduces your risk of waking up to frozen pipes that can cause a great deal of damage.

Many people deal with clogged toilets. However, if your toilet will not flush every time, the water rises to the top, and there is bubbling effect occasionally, this can be due to a much deeper blockage in the main pipe. The main pipe must then be cleaned in order for your toilet to work properly.

Hopefully, now that you’ve read the above tips, the fine art of plumbing is a little less scary to you. Remember what you’ve learned here, so that you can put in practice when you need to. Also, remember that when all else fails, a plumber is just a speed dial number away.

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Plumbing Like A Pro: Tips, Tricks, And Techniques

August 28, 2024   Matt

Plumbing Like A Pro: Tips, Tricks, And Techniques

This article has some of the best tips and tricks available to you concerning plumbing. You can check elsewhere if you want; however, in order to make the most out of your time, we suggest that you take a few minutes to check out the expert advice provided here.

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 the plumbing in your home. If your home has the flexible gray polybutylene water pipes, you need to have a plumber come out and assess their condition. These types of pipe are prone to failure and can lead to very costly repairs if they have a failure within your home.

If you have plumbing that runs into your refrigerator, you should be sure to shut it off if you are leaving on vacation. You do not want a leak to develop while you are away and leak all over your home. It will only take a minute to avoid what can be a disastrous situation.

To check for toilet leaks, especially if it seems like your toilet is chronically running, use a few drops of food coloring in the toilet tank. If water is leaking into the bowl, you will see color in about a half hour. Replacing tank parts can repair leaks and greatly save on water consumption.

It is important to clean your faucet’s aerator from time to time. Not cleaning it can cause lime buildup, which in turn, could cause water leaks or low water pressure. To clean a aerator, you can unscrew it from the faucet, dip a brush into vinegar, and use the brush to clean it.

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.

When getting plumbing quotes for your home, make sure you receive them in writing. Your quote should have the material and labor costs so that both parties know what to expect from the job. If you do not get it in writing, when the job starts, you have nothing to fall back on.

Got a leaky pipe? In many cases you can repair this yourself without the expense of a plumber. If a joint is leaking, tighten it with a pipe wrench. If the leak is coming from a damaged section of pipe, you can try repairing with a store-bought patching kit. One method involves applying waterproof tape to the section of pipe where there is leakage. Before applying the tape, make sure the pipe is thoroughly dry. Make sure that the tape covers two to three inches on either side of the breakage in the pipe.

In conclusion, not all advice should be taken seriously. Be sure to be careful who you take advice from especially when it is something that could lead to much frustration in the future. This article hopefully provided all of the details that you need to know about plumbing.

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Need Plumbing Help? Use This Great Info! (5)

August 23, 2024   Matt

Need Plumbing Help? Use This Great Info!

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.

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.

Keep an eye on your monthly water bill to catch plumbing problems. Has your water bill gone up recently, even though nothing’s changed? This could indicate a water leak or appliance problem somewhere inside or outside of your home. Check under sinks for rusted pipes, look for water puddles under outside faucets, and consider having a plumber come out to listen to your pipes to detect running water.

Check the filters in your furnace, regularly. If these filters have not been cleaned or replaced recently, they may become clogged. This will affect how well your furnace is able to work, meaning that you may not have enough heat during the winter. Take this simple step, as soon as the weather starts to become cold.

Before starting a plumbing project be sure to know your pipes. Each pipe has a different use and every municipality has different codes for what pipes can be used for. Making a mistake in this area can be very costly, if you are forced to remove all the pipes from the work you have just completed.

Don’t be afraid to call a professional. Don’t take on jobs to save money, if you aren’t sure how to fix them. Calling a professional plumber saves you money, the experience and know-how can fix your problem sooner and with less fuss.

If you want to keep your kitchen drains from clogging up, don’t pour grease down them. As it cools and congeals it can trap other food or waste particles, which over time can slow the draining of water and even form a clog that will not be easy to remove.

Use a foaming root killer, twice yearly, to remove tree roots that can bring your drains to a standstill. Foaming products fill the entire pipe with chemicals, killing roots that grow from the top of the pipe as well as the part that water flows through. They are more effective than regular root killers for this reason.

Use a shop vacuum to unplug your toilets or drains, if a hard object is clogging it. Using a plunger will only push the object further and make it impossible to remove. If you do not have a shop vacuum, you can rent one from most Walmart stores or from similar franchises.

Being educated about plumbing issues is essential if you are a homeowner. Problems can occur when we least expect it, so understanding how to handle common DIY projects, and knowing what you need to be aware of in hiring a contractor will all go a long way towards getting your project done, and done well.

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Want To Know More About Plumbing? Check Out These Great Tips! (2)

August 18, 2024   Matt

Want To Know More About Plumbing? Check Out These Great Tips!

This is the best place for plumbing tips. You could look far and wide but you will not find tips as well written and clear as what you will find here. Use this article today if you want to know all that you should know about plumbing and your home.

There are simple ways to check your toilet for leaks that can ultimately lead to great cost savings in the long run. The easiest way to do this is to pour a small amount of food dye into the holding tank of your toilet overnight. In the morning, if you have any color in the basin then you know you have a leak that needs some attention.

If you are seeing areas in your ceiling or walls that appear to have water damage or are sagging, make sure you turn off the power before inspecting. Electricity and water do not mix. The last thing you need is to go into the attic and get shocked by a pool of water.

Look online for reviews of the plumbing contractor you are thinking of hiring. If people are not satisfied with the work that the plumber preforms, many times they will go on the internet and post negative reviews. If they are happy with the plumber they will also post positive reviews.

Is your toilet leaking? Find out by putting some food color in the tank and then check the bowl later. If there is colored water in the bowl, the toilet has an internal leak. To fix an internal leak you can simply replace the tank’s ball or flapper.

When facing temperatures below freezing in the winter it is important to leave the hot water dripping. This makes sure that the pipes don’t freeze over and saves you the expensive repair of fixing and or entirely replacing a broken pipe. The slight cost of dripping hot water is well worth saving you from that large expense of replacing a broken pipe.

If you’re connecting a new gas appliance in your home you absolutely need to have the right connector to add it to your gas plumbing. Universal connection kits are readily available at home improvement stores which will make the connection between your flexible hose and the iron supply pipe tight and safe.

If your toilet is slow to flush, add some white vinegar to the overflow tube. White vinegar helps the water from your tank to flow quickly, which will make the toilet flush faster. It is recommended that you use about a quart of the vinegar and let it stay there for at least an hour before flushing.

Insulate all of the pipes in your home that run along an exterior wall to prevent them from freezing. This step is not going to cost you a lot of money, but it is going to save you quite a bit of damage by preventing pipe freezes. It is easy and cheap to do and should be done as soon as possible.

In conclusion, plumbing is a skill that you should know about – plain and simple. It is something that you will always be able to use and you may be able to save yourself a lot of money and frustration in the future. Hopefully this article was beneficial to you.

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You Can Teach Yourself To Handle Plumbing Problems 5

August 13, 2024   Matt

You Can Teach Yourself To Handle Plumbing Problems

Over time, plumbing in our homes is bound to fail. You can call a plumber to fix this, or you can try your hand at doing your own plumbing. Doing your own plumbing jobs is not always easy. The following article will contain helpful advice for anyone who wishes to do their own plumbing.

Avoid over-tightening water faucet handles. Use only enough pressure to stop the water from flowing and dripping from the faucet. Anything else is overkill and will quickly wear out the gaskets and washers inside those handles and cause leaking or the inability to stop the water from coming out of the faucet.

In the winter time to avoid your pipes freezing you should insulate them. If the pipes are going to be in a place that is exposed to severely cold weather, you should drain them if they aren’t being used. If the pipes are indoor you should open up the cupboards under the sink so more heat can get to them.

If you are looking to get new piping in your home, try to stay away from copper ones. Copper tends to have problems, due to water and soil corrosion. It is also harder to install these kinds of pipes. Steel or lead pipes tend to offer the best quality and are the most durable.

If you’ve replaced the drain in a sink or tub it’s very important to do a leak test to make sure nothing is going to cause you water damage. First, dry off the drain completely so you won’t be mistaken by old water or condensation. Fill the tub or sink repeatedly and touch the drain to make sure it isn’t wet.

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.

If your drain in any device is taking longer to drain water, then you may need to have your pipes professionally cleaned depending on the severity of the circumstances. Before you do this, there are several different products you can try. However, some of them are professional strength and all products should be used with caution.

If you have a water pressure or fill problem throughout the whole house, do not panic. It could be the simplest of solutions. Sometimes the city flushes their systems, breaking up debris and sending it to homes. This requires cleaning drains effectively and strainers in order to resolve the problem.

If the hot water heater in your house is over ten years old, you should look at replacing it. Hot water heaters are very susceptible to corrosion on the bottom. This can lead to leaking and flooding whatever room it is in. Then not only will you have to replace it, but you’ll have to fix any damage caused by the leak.

In conclusion, plumbing is bound to fail over time. There are two solutions: call a plumber to fix it or attempt to fix it yourself. Doing the job by yourself can sometimes be hard, but if you remember the helpful advice from the article above, you can do the task.

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Plumbing Advice That Everyone Should Know About

August 08, 2024   Matt

Plumbing Advice That Everyone Should Know About

What are your personal thoughts on plumbing? Do you view everything you can on the subject and try to improve upon your own system at home? There are numerous resources available, such as magazines, videos, books, and shows. So where do you begin with your own system? Try going through these tips to find your starting point.

If you need to remove a sink trap, plunge the sink before. This should remove most of the water contained in the trap and prevent you from making a mess. If you have a double sink, make sure you plunge both sides. Some water might still remain in the trap: place a bucket underneath.

Completing a leak test after replacing or repairing plumbing is the key to ensuring that you don’t end up with water damage. You must aggressively turn the water on and off, so that the pipes will move to their full extent and the water pressure will max out. Do the test on both hot and cold water!

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.

Hair can clog your drains if you do not clean them regularly. You could also get some screens to place over your drains to keep most of the hair from going down. Hair usually breaks down, but it can cause your drains to back up if they are present in large quantity.

If you are going on vacation, look for individual valves under each of your sinks. Turn off water for each appliance. If you live in an apartment building, you will not be able to shut off your system completely but will have to turn off individual valves to prevent any leak from ruining your apartment.

Before you being a plumbing job, take a few key steps so that you can avoid any mishaps. Turn off all water supplies before starting a project. Make sure that you have protected items nearby with tarps to keep them from getting damaged by spraying water. It is better to be prepared than it is to deal with damage after the fact.

NEVER dump grease or oil down your drains! They both turn solid when they’re cold and can clog up your drains, especially in the kitchen and bathroom where other items end up going down the sink and creating blocks. Let it cool, instead, and throw it out in the trash.

Coat your sinks with expanding foam to deaden sounds. If you have to sinks side by side, sounds will resonate strongly between them and create vibrations. This is not good for the pipes. The expanding foam will reduce the vibrations and protect your pipes. You might find it easier to apply foam before you install the sink.

Now that you have an idea on where to start crafting your own plumbing techniques, are you ready to start experimenting? Are you ready to apply what you read to your system? Can you start bettering your home plumbing smartly and safely? If you can, then have fun! If not, make sure to go back through the tips again.

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