Did you know that you can use the same antifreeze that you use in your car to help prevent your home...

1. Solid Advice When It Pertains to Plumbing
Did you know that you can use the same antifreeze that you use in your car to help prevent your
home plumbing from freezing? To find out how and why, as well as other great tips for how to
maintain your home plumbing, read the following article right away.
To avoid clogs, pay attention to what you flush. Sanitary napkins, thick toilet paper and baby wipes
should never be flushed. These items can expand and cause a clog, or get caught on a pipe. Instead,
dispose of them in a sanitary way that does not involve flushing them down the toilet.
To prevent the pipes from freezing, it is advisable to seal off air vents, cracks and access doors. In
order to keep the heat in and the cold out, you can try using insulation or caulk. In the event a leak
occurs, make it a point to remind everyone where the master circuit breaker is so it can be shut off
immediately.
If you have issues with the plumbing making a hammering sound when you turn it off, check your
water pressure. Any time your water pressure is above 80 PSI, you will hear extra water noise. This
can be easily solved by the installation of a pressure-reducing valve, which can be done by most
homeowners.
Do not put your hand in the garbage disposal to remove a clog. This can be potentially harmful.
Always use tongs to get out whatever is stuck in the disposal. Using tongs is much safer, and you will
make sure your hand does not get cut on the disposer's sharp blades.
Be certain that your toilet does not leak. To find out if your toilet is leaking the only thing you need
to do is place a few drops of food coloring in the tank of your toilet. If you then see the colors show
up in the bowl right away, you can be assured that there is an issue that should be addressed.
You should drain all of the water out of the tank of your hot water heater at least once every three to
six months. Draining all of the water out of the tank helps to prevent sediment build-up at the
bottom of the tank. This sediment can cause the tank to bang or to heat less efficiently.
DIY plumbing jobs will require that you understand how to solder copper for the lines for the water
supply. You can practice this skill so that you will be able to run your lines without worrying about it
leaking. Search online for video tutorials that can help you get a handle on how to go about
soldering.
Don't shrug off that trickle coming from your toilet as a small problem. Even the tiniest leak can be
quite expensive in the long run as you end up wasting potentially hundreds of gallons of water. See if
you can find the root of the leak, or seek out professional advice, and keep your toilet running
efficiently.
Do not use a drain cleaner if you can help it. The chemicals in these type of cleaners are corrosive,
and they could damage your pipes by using them too much. When you have a plumbing blockage,
consider calling out a professional to determine what the source of the problem is.
If water is flooding your home, immediately switch off the main electrical power. If water comes into

2. contact with any electrical components, it can become a fatal situation. Once the power is off, then
deal with the flood water. Put your own and your family's personal safety first, and show each
member of the family how to shut off the power.
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.
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
http://www.wayfair.com/Water-Heaters-C433349.html the event a pipe bursts, a bathtub or toilet
overflows or any other emergency that requires you to turn off the water.
Many people aren't well-versed in plumbing, and choose to pay whatever the plumber is asking for.
If you own a home, you should be educated in what the professional is doing. By gaining this
education, you can protect yourself from getting ripped off by a shady plumber.
If the water pressure on your street exceeds 60 pounds, you many want to consider installing a
pressure reducing valve. Too much water pressure is actually harmful to your plumbing system and
could cause excess water pressure. A pressure reducing valve cuts down your water pressure by
almost 50 percent.
When it comes to plumbing an ounce of prevention is the best thing to prevent things from going
haywire. In order to prevent clogging avoid doing things that would clog drains. Do not pour oil
down the kitchen sink, and install hair catching filters in all your bath
http://en.gravatar.com/wefixwaterheaters tubs. This will prevent a lot of unnecessary clogs.
While it might help to conserve a bit of water to not flush the toilet after every use or only under
certain conditions, regularly flushing toilets can help keep water moving in pipes and prevent
freezing. The same holds true for letting water run in sinks as well. If you have rarely used
bathrooms in your home, make it point to to flush the toilets and run the faucets on a regular basis.
If you have a leaky faucet, the problem may be mineral buildup. Mineral building can cause you to
have a broken seal in your faucet which will cause leaks and make it unreliable. If you've already
checked for the most common leak problem which is the washer, looking for buildup is the next
possible culprit.

3. The best thing you can do if you smell a foul odor coming
from your toilet is to call a plumber. There is a good
chance that you may have a sewer backup. Not only can
this cause pipe damage, but inhaling the smells from
sewer backups is harmful to your help.
As was stated in the beginning of the article, the first
reaction that people have when their plumbing is not
working properly is panic. That is why this article was
created -- to help those with plumbing problems become
educated in the subject in order for them to relax and get
the problem fixed efficiently.