Staff Writer-Lindsey Pearce

If you are a first time homeowner or maybe someone who has just moved out of Mom and Dad's humble abode, you may not know a lick about plumbing, but there are certain things that you should know. This article will discuss some of them, and you will be more knowledgeable after reading the tips below.

Do not put cooking oils, fat, or grease, down your drain. These fats cause clogs by solidifying in pipes. To properly dispose of https://mgyb.co/s/DcDDQ , put them in a bowl with a lid that you can dispose of. Once it gets hard, throw it in the trash or compost bin.

If your pipes are prone to freezing, let the water trickle continuously in at least one faucet during weather that is below freezing. This will minimize the chances that the pipes will freeze and leave you without water. If water is continually running through the pipes and trickling out of a faucet, the pipes are less likely to freeze.





Pour baking soda and vinegar down your bathtub drain every month. Plug the opening or cover it with a cloth while the chemical reaction takes place. Pause a few minutes, and then follow the mixture with boiling water. Doing this will clear your pipes of any soap scum or hair that has accumulated.

Making sure you know all of your problems so you can have them fixed by one plumber visit is very beneficial. Having them all fixed in one visit takes a lot of money off of your bill because you don't have to pay for the visit multiple times so make sure you make a list first.

Find a better way to discard of cooking oil instead of pouring it down the drain where it can easily clog 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.

Group all of your plumbing repairs before scheduling a plumber to come out. Check all of your fixtures and faucets. If anything is dripping, running or clogged, make a list for the plumber. That way, when the plumber comes, they can do all of the jobs in one visit. This will cut down on charges.

visit the following website in your home should know where the main water shut off valve is. By knowing where to find this valve, you'll be able to shut off the water in the event a pipe bursts, a bathtub or toilet overflows or any other emergency that requires you to turn off the water.

Regular maintenance of your plumbing lines is a great idea. Your options are getting your lines snaked or jetted. Jetted is a technology that is proven more effective than snaking is. It gets deeper and cleans harder. So jetting is a good idea next time you are having maintenance performed on your lines.

Do not be surprised if a plumber charges you more than you expected. Many customers think that fixing a toilet or other drainage problem should be easy, therefore the price should be low. You must remember that not only does a plumber have to charge for labor, but they have to charge for parts that you need.

When searching for a good plumber you should always check references. It is easy to just go with the lowest price, but you have to do your research and make sure the plumber has a good reputation with the people they have done work for in the past so you do not get a bad plumber.

If you have plumbing problems caused by grout in the water lines, it is best not to attempt to fix it yourself. The grout can be broken up and sent further down. This works better when you have plastic pipes as opposed to metal ones. However, this will most likely require a professional to do the job.

If you install a new water heater, and you start to have a leak from the pressure relief valve, you may need an expansion tank installed. The pressure increases when the functioning of the water heater is being performed properly. Therefore, with your new water heater, it may be necessary to have an expansion tank as well.

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.

Insulate your pipes properly. If the temperature drops below fifty five degrees, your pipes could freeze. This makes pipes extremely fragile and increases the risk of leaks and damages. The pipes inside your house should not freeze but take a look at a plan of your plumbing system to see if you have any pipes outside of your house.

Check for leaks behind the wall tile in your bathroom, especially any tile surrounding your bathtub, by gently pressing each tile and feeling for some give. If you find any mushy or soft spots, you will need to find the source of the leak and repair it to prevent further damage.

Kitchen and bathroom plumbing is often located on exterior walls and freezes more easily than interior wall plumbing. Keep your furnace at a safe temperature throughout the winter and open cabinet doors in bathroom vanities and beneath kitchen sinks to expose the pipes to warmer room air to prevent freezing.

It is a general rule of thumb that you should replace a water faucet every seven years, even if you do not see anything wrong with it. Some faucet problems are not visible to the naked eye, which is why it is so important for them to replaced every so often.

Check for calcium and mineral deposits by turning on both the kitchen sink and the bathtub. If the volume of water is low, it may be time for you to replace pipes due to deposits of calcium and other minerals. Check the water pressure and consider calling a professional to handle the entire job.

As mentioned above, most periodic plumbing maintenance is simple and straightforward. Most repairs resulting from serious damage to your plumbing are not. Now that you know how to deal with the plubming issues in your home, you should be more prepared to prevent or mitigate the more serious problems that can result.