Are you doing your own plumbing for the first time? You probably don't even know where to start. It'...

1. There Is A Lot To Know About Pipes
Are you doing your own plumbing for the first time? You probably don't even know where to start.
It's no secret that doing your own plumbing for the first time can be a bit overwhelming. Below are
some tips that can help to make maintaining your own plumbing a bit smoother.
If your pipes make squeaking and hammering noises, it may be very simple to fix. Anchoring exposed
pipes will decrease the amount of noise your plumbing system makes. You are going to need a
professional if the pipes will be located in the ceiling, walls, or the floors.
Be careful about using liquid clog cleaners. These liquids can contain chemicals that are extremely
bad for your pipes. Instead, use a snake or a plunger to dislodge any clogs you might encounter. Be
sure to try these things before giving up and calling a plumber, who will probably re-perform those
same acts.
Use a hairdryer to thaw frozen pipes, after you shut off the water to the house. A hairdryer will
gently heat the pipe and thaw the ice without causing significant damage to the pipe. Shutting off
the water first means that if the pipe is broken, there will be no rush of water into the house.
Make sure you know where your home's water shutoff is located. You never know when there might
be an emergency involving a broken pipe or damaged connection that requires you to turn off the
water right away. In addition, knowing where the shutoff is located is vital before you start any
plumbing project, in case anything goes wrong.
Avoid using hard cleaners on your toilets, such as drop-in cleaner tabs in the tank. When these tabs
are almost completely dissolved, what's left of the tab gets washed into the bowl. This can then end
up clogging the toilet's port holes, preventing the toilet from flushing properly. It can take months
for this debris to finish dissolving in those holes.
Make sure overflow holes are cleaned out. This can help to prevent any water damage. Overflow
holes are a way to stop water from overflowing if a sink is left on by accident. If the overflow hole is
clogged it will not be able to do its job.
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.
Cover pipes that are outside or in cool areas. Use heat tape to make sure that the pipes are
completely covered and insulated. This will prevent frozen pipes in the winter, which can be an
expensive problem. Check outdoor pipes for other problems such as leaks and cracks which are
better to catch early.
To protect your money from unsavory plumbers, always get a written estimate before paying a cent
or committing to a project. Good businessmen know to under-promise and over-deliver to savvy
customers. Once a stated number is given, it is
http://www.angieslist.com/companylist/houston/plumbing.htm highly unlikely that your plumber will
exceed the projected costs of the project.

2. Everyone 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.
Use a foaming root killer, twice yearly, to remove tree roots that can bring your drains to a
standstill. Foaming products fill the entire pipe with chemicals, killing roots that grow from the top
of the pipe as well as the part that water flows through. They are more effective than regular root
killers for this reason.
Hair can clog your drains if you do not clean them regularly. You could also get some screens to
place over your drains to keep most of the hair from going down. Hair usually breaks down, but it
can cause your drains to back up if they are present in large quantity.
When facing temperatures below freezing in the winter it is important to leave the hot water
dripping. This makes sure that the pipes don't freeze over and saves you the expensive repair of
fixing and or entirely replacing a broken pipe. The slight cost of dripping hot water is well worth
saving you from that large expense of replacing a broken pipe.
Do not pour grease and oil down your drains. Cooking grease will build up in your pipes and could
cause back-ups. Keep grease and oil in a container in your fridge and throw it in the trash when it is
full. Avoid clogging your pipes with any products containing oil or grease.
If you have plumbing that runs into your refrigerator, you should be sure to shut it off if you are
leaving on vacation. You do not want a leak to develop while you are away and leak all over your
home. It will only take a minute to avoid what can be a disastrous situation.
Run dishwashers and washing machines at night, or during times when people are not using that
much water. This will keep water pressure strong for showers and other things, while making sure
that dishwashing and laundry still takes place in a timely manner. It also preserves energy costs and
use.
You should never dump grease, fat, or cooking oil down the drain. These fats and oils could solidify
in cold pipes and clog your sink. Instead you should put the fats and oils in a dish and wait for it to
solidify, then throw it away for garbage men to pick it up.

3. Plumbing is something that can be done as a
hobby, or as a way to make some
https://arthurnygaard.wordpress.com/ extra
money. If you feel that your skills have progressed
a good deal, then you could consider using it is as
a way to supplement your primary income by
helping out neighbors and co-workers.
As you have seen, doing your plumbing is not as
scary as it may appear at first. Just think of all of
the benefits it has and all of the expenses it can
take care of, along with all of the money it can
save you in the long run.