Fixing your own plumbing could be a difficult and intimidating thing to try. There are so many things you should know, and it seems like it could be easy to accidentally break something and make the problem worse. However, taking care of common plumbing problems can be easy with the proper knowledge. Read on for some practical tips on solving and avoiding plumbing issues.
As the weather begins to get cold, attend to all of your exposed pipes by adding insulation to them. Pay particular attention to pipes located in crawl spaces and the outside walls of your residence. Taking this step will help ensure that your pipes continue to function throughout the winter.
Check your faucets for leaks. Check the knobs and the faucet itself. Hundreds of gallons of water a day ccould be wasted due to leaks and that’s not good if you’re paying your water bill. By stopping a leak now, you can save yourself a lot of money. Leaks can grow over time as well, so avoid a disaster and check all faucets for leaks!
Check your gas water heater periodically, making sure the pilot flame is lit. The correct color for this flame should be blue. The tip of the flame should be yellow. If you find that you are only seeing a yellow flame, you may need to call a professional for safety reasons.
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One of the things that you should do to maximize the security of your home is to seal all of the cracks in your outdoor faucets. Even the tinyest crack can intensify as the season progresses and lead to serious problems down the road. Reduce drips and leaks for optimal protection.
If you want avoid future issues with your toilet, do not treat it like a trash can. Keep away from flushing improper items down the toilet, like cotton balls, diapers, paper towels, or feminine hygiene products. These types of items can clog your toilet as they do not dissolve. You will also really want to use the least amount of toilet paper that you can.
Sometimes you have to make the choice between replacing and, or repairing. If you have an old appliance, that uses a lot of water or electricity, it may be best to replace. Sure, it will cost more initially, but it will save you money in the long run. The other thing is, you can’t be sure how well a repair will work out, whereas with a new appliance you will at least get a guarantee.
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 soon.
One costly plumbing repair is frozen pipes. This can usually be prevented. The most important step is to keep any pipes close to the outside and well insulated. Once the temperature starts to drop, disconnect your hoses after you have drained them out, and make sure the outside faucet is turned off. Doing so can prevent some nasty repair bills a professional plumber would charge you.
Garbage disposals are a common cause of plumbing problems, which really is an easy problem to solve. Don’t just put everything down the disposal or treat it like a second trash can. Use the disposal things that would be difficult to dispose of normally. Ussually putting all leftover food down the sink is a good way to produce clogs.
If the hot water heater in your house is over ten years old, you deffinetaly 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.
As you can see, solving plumbing problems isn’t so hard when you know what you’re doing, or if you have the right advice. When you are well-informed it can save you agreat deal of money. Make a note of what you’ve learned in this article and see how easy it is either to fix your own plumbing problems, or at the very least, ensure that you get a good service from a professional.