Friday, August 15, 2014

Plumbing 101: Tips And Tricks For Your Pipes

By Steve Manlapas


While it's the source of life, water is the enemy of a homeowner facing plumbing problems. There aren't many ways to destroy a house faster than to leave a major plumbing problem unfixed. Fortunately, homeowners can take a lot of steps to prevent plumbing nightmares and to minimize the effects when they occur.

If a water pipe freezes, you should turn the on tap that is nearest to the pipe to ensure the water has a place to get out when the pipe thaws out. Letting the water drain out will relieve pressure in the frozen pipe, which will reduce the chances of it bursting and damaging your home.

Frozen pipes are on of the worst plumbing problems. Prevent the pipes from freezing by insulating any sections of pipe that are close to the outside walls, and never allowing the temperature inside to be below freezing. Your pipes can freeze if temperatures around them fall below freezing. In the best case scenario, you will have to wait until they thaw so that the water runs again. However, frozen pipes commonly break or crack pipes, leading to flooding and costly repairs.

Make sure the job gets done by not paying your plumber until you are satisfied, and the work is completed. You may be required to put some money down before a job is started, but never pay the total cost until you know the job has been completed correctly. You need to know the plumber did what he promised before he is reimbursed for the entire amount.

Schedule your plumbing jobs all together. You might be tempted to contact a plumber every time you face a small problem, but if you have problems repaired all at once, you will have time to save money for the fixes. It is a lot more cost effective as you will only be paying for one call-out fee instead of multiple trips.

Water that leaves behind pink or orange tinged stains has an excessive amount of iron. You can combat this by using a water softener. You can either purchase it at a store, or hire a company to come to your house to set it up for you.

If your house uses well water and there are orange or pink stains in tubs or sinks, it's because of the iron level in the water. You will need a water softener in order to take care of this problem, which you could purchase at a local store, or hire someone to go to your home and fix it for you.

The best way to avoid plumbing bills is to prevent problems before they happen. One of the most common repairs involves fixing drain clogs. Hair can clog drains. Use a drain cover to keep hair and other elements from going down your pipes. It is much easier to remove the hair from a screen than it is to get it out of a pipe.

If the hose that leads to your kitchen sink has not been maintained or installed properly, you may notice that water is constantly draining to the dishwasher. The hose at the kitchen sink going to the dishwasher should follow a specific uphill, then downhill pattern. This prevents unwanted mixing of water between the sink and dishwasher.

Steer clear of drain cleaners whenever possible. The chemicals found in drain cleaners are very corrosive, and can end up damaging your pipes if you use them too much. If your drain frequently blocks, then call a professional to see what the real problem is, and get it solved once and for all.

Knowing about basic plumbing is a valuable skill. You'll be an awesome resource for your friends and family, and you can also save yourself a lot of cash, as well. Ideally, you found the concepts above both interesting and helpful in your quest to expand your plumbing knowledge.




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