Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Learn How To Do Your Own Basic Plumbing

By Julie Peppers


How experienced are you with plumbing? If you do, can you make it better? Are you skilled or a beginner? If you are somewhat vague on the answers to these questions, read on for some useful and insightful tips that can help.

If you are trying to get a clean-out plug removed, but not getting very far, there are a couple of things you can do. You can loosen the fitting with a hammer and a chisel. Your other option to try is to chisel through the out plug.

Insulate pipes that are in colder areas, like your crawl spaces, attic, and on any exterior walls. Insulation that wraps snugly around a pipe is readily available. This will keep your pipes from bursting during the winter and also help keep hot water hot as it moves through the pipes.

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. This will help relieve pressure in pipes to prevent them from bursting, which may prevent bigger damage for your home.

To keep your pipes from freezing in the winter, insulate all exterior pipes and be sure to keep your interior house temperature above freezing, even if the house is vacant. Pipes have the potential to freeze if the surrounding temperatures are below the freezing mark. It could take some time in order for the pipes to thaw out so that you can have running water. The worst case scenario is a busted pipe and a costly repair.

Buying plumbing tools will cost you some money initially, but it will save you a lot in the long run. For basic plumbing repairs, simply search the Internet to find videos that will step you through the repairs. By investing in the correct tools, minor problems won't require a call to a plumber.

To find signs of water damage in tiles, you should first check to make sure there are not any that have become loose. Loose tiles can be an early sign that a leak exists and needs to be addressed, so press against the floor or wall around the tiles to determine if there is any "give". It is easier to fix the problem if you find out about it early.

Place a strainer over the drains to collect anything that could clog and cause stoppage. Each time a filter is clogged, it should be cleaned. You should clean out the strainer in your bathtub often.

Now that you've checked out this article, you are probably chomping at the bit to either fix an existing plumbing problem or improve your plumbing system. We certainly hope these tips will save you some money in plumbing contractor fees, and provide ideas for easy fixes. If they do not work, keep trying until you get pleasant results!




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