Plumbing Advice That Can Save You Cash

Were you aware that you could get something as cheap and easy to install as a rubber blanket foryour pipes in order to take care of that banging noise you hear in your house? Use this article forthis and more great plumbing tips to help you today!

You always want to solder correctly, the biggest mistake most people make when soldering is failingto get the interior of the fitting and the exterior of the pipe clean and shiny. Polish these surfaceswith a fine emery clot until bright. When soldering, never heat the pipe, but instead heat the fitting.Doing so allows the solder to be drawn into the fitting by capillary action.

Act quickly if your pipes freeze! Shut off the water and open the faucet, enabling it to drainhttp://nathanialbrock.tumblr.com/ when it thaws. Starting with the faucet, and working your way tothe iced-up area, aim a propane torch or hairdryer at the pipe - this will quickly defrost it. You couldalso wrap the pipe in a heating pad or aim a heat lamp at it, but this will take quite some time. A lastresort is to wrap the pipe in rags and pour boiling water over it.

Find a better way to discard of cooking oil instead of pouring it down the drain where it can easilyclog your pipes. Keep a coffee can or other metal container handy to pour grease into after cooking.Place the can in the freezer to harden the grease and when it's full, discard it with the trash.

In cold climate areas, sometimes the pipes in the plumbing system freeze. You can thaw them outwithout calling a plumber. Before beginning this process, open the faucet and begin thawing closestto the faucet and then move down the line as sections thaw out. One method you can use is to wrapthe pipe with a heavy towel or burlap and then pour hot water over it, set a bucket underneath tocatch the water.

Do not ignore a slow flushing toilet. This is usually a sign that something is wrong. It can also causebackups and overflows. The most common causes of a slow flushing toilet are sediment build up,tank malfunctions, or partial clogs. You should periodically check for these problems.

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

Find out the plumbing codes in your local area before starting any project. Plumbing codes can vary

wildly from area to area and you don't want to run afoul of the codes. Visit your local buildingdepartment to find out information or hire a plumber for a day to help you go over your plans andprovide advice.

If sewage is overflowing your toilet, then check theconnection between your home's sewage line andthe city sewage line. If you can't clear the line,you'll need professional help to run a snake andbreak up the clog.

If water is draining into a dishwasher, it is probablybecause the hose attached to the sink is notinstalled correctly. The hose going from thedishwasher to the sink must go downhill, and thenuphill, to prevent water mixing from the twodevices.

If you have grout in your water line, you shouldn'ttry cleaning it yourself because it will be pointless.You can try to break up the grout and send it

further down. This works best if your pipes are plastic rather than metal. This is a tough problem,however, that very often requires professional intervention.

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

The key to finding a great plumber for new construction is to look at their prior jobs. Good plumberstake pride in the work they do, so they will have photos and references from previous jobs. If theplumber you are considering hiring does not have references or photos of previous jobs, then stayaway and find another.

If you think you understand what is wrong with your toilet, but aren't sure, you should first do somemore research on the internet. Most plumbing problems are fairly standard, and you should be ableto read about the problem in great detail on several amateur plumber forums to make sure youunderstand the problem.

If you start seeing wet spots or water drops on any walls, it is critical that you shut your main watersupply down and get a plumber out as fast as possible. This may mean you have serious plumbingproblems. Water within walls can cause not just flooding, but also toxic mold or mildew.

To check for toilet leaks, especially if it seems like your toilet is chronically running, use a few dropsof food coloring http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plumber in the toilet tank. If water is leaking into thebowl, you will see color in about a half hour. Replacing tank parts can repair leaks and greatly saveon water consumption.

As tempting as it may be to try and save on the heating bill, keep your furnace set no lower than 55degrees over the winter to prevent inside pipes from freezing. If you have pipes located in anexcessively cold basement, consider running a space heater in the basement, but only when it can bechecked on frequently.

To avoid water damage to walls in the kitchen, make sure all seams in your counter tops and backsplash are properly sealed using a waterproof silicone. Silicone will dry out over time, crack andshrink and should be replaced once every three years. Keeping your silicone in good shape will keepkitchen spills where they belong and not running down the walls.

Plumbing is something that can be done as a hobby, or as a way to make some extra money. If youfeel that your skills have progressed a good deal, then you could consider using it is as a way tosupplement your primary income by helping out neighbors and co-workers.

As you can see, plumbing problems don't have to be so difficult. If you can solve the problemyourself, you can save time waiting for a plumber, as well as saving a whole lot of money. Tryapplying what you've learned from this article next time you have a plumbing problem!