Authored by-Tyson Robinson
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.
You always want to solder correctly, the biggest mistake most people make when soldering is failing to get the interior of the fitting and the exterior of the pipe clean and shiny. Polish these surfaces with 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.
Check your faucets for leaks. Check the knobs and the faucet itself. Hundreds of gallons of water a day can 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!
Ensure that everyone in your household knows how to turn off the main water supply, or knows how to contact someone who can. In the event of a burst pipe or other water-related emergency, you should immediately turn off the water to prevent flooding, structural damage, and a sky-high water bill.
Set the temperature on your hot water heater to a temperature that does not exceed 120 degrees. This helps to save energy and prevents the water from becoming too hot and potentially scalding someone in your household. Older models that do not have a temperature setting should be set on Medium.
During the winter, preventing frozen pipes when you live in a small dwelling can be something good to know. Frozen
https://docs.google.com/document/d/11-VJG29xPyJU3k_OXaPFSxwygqyQD0RNCdjXiH-sEyc/edit will not only stop your flow of water but can crack and damage pipes. By running a little water out of every faucet during the coldest parts of the day, you can avoid this.
Try to limit the amount of hair that goes down your drains. Hair can become tangled up in the pipe and end up blocking up the them, preventing water from flowing smoothly. Buy a cheap screened drain cover to put over your drain to stop any hair from going down and clean it off regularly.
If you have a clogged drain, don't use cleaning chemicals to try to clear the clog. These harsh chemicals can corrode your metal pipes leading to leaks and broken pipes over time. Instead, stick to a plunger or make use of a plumbing snake to clear them.
Frozen pipes can cause a lot of damage and cost you money. However, most of the time, you can prevent this from happening. Insulate the pipes that run outside with proper material. And when the temperatures start dropping, you will want to drain your hoses and disconnect them, and then turn off all of the outside faucets. This will help to save you money on plumbing bills.
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.
Governmental regulations sometimes prevent plumbers from actively providing maintenance to copper piping. If you have a calcium buildup in your copper piping, you are going to need to take care of this yourself. You have to get rid of all the water and add vinegar which eats away the calcium buildup out of copper pipes.
If your toilet has sewage back-up, then there is a block somewhere along the branch line that connects the sewage and main lines. If you have difficulty removing this blockage, call a company that has special equipment to clear the line, usually a plumber's snake.
One of the things that you can do to safeguard your home from any serious plumbing issues is to install a flood alarm. This is a device that will sound when it comes in contact with water, alerting you if there are any issues in a particular area in the house.
If you live in an environment where winters get cold, it is crucial that you prepare your pipes for the winter. Leaving pipes as is can cause them to freeze which can create severe plumbing issues. Have your faucet open a little bit when it is really cold to prevent frozen pipes.
If you are going on vacation, look for individual valves under each of your sinks. Turn off water for each appliance. If you live in an apartment building, you will not be able to shut off your system completely but will have to turn off individual valves to prevent any leak from ruining your apartment.
Watch out for decreased levels of intensity in the water flow in your bathroom. This can be a sign of calcium or mineral deposits disrupting water flow. If spotted early enough it may be possible to remedy this without having to replace the pipes.
When plunging a drain to attempt to remove a blockage, first make sure that the drain is completely covered in water. This helps to form a seal. Then, plunge at least fifteen to twenty times before stopping. Repeat the process two to three times. If this doesn't work, try a chemical drain cleaner.
In order to save both time and money, try to group your plumbing maintenance projects into one visit from the plumber. Fix everything that needs attention in one visit, rather than calling for service repeatedly. It will save money in the long run because you will not have to incur multiple service charges.
Now you see that plumbing is a lot more than haphazardly fixing a tiny leak. It takes skill and work. You don't want to create more problems, so why not take some time to learn how to do it right? The above tips should have given you some pointers on how to do that.

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