They say that plumbing should be left to the plumbers. If there is somebody who knows what to do, it would be them. However, you can’t always depend on them. One way or the other, you are going to have to get your hands dirty either by having to perform a quick fix or routine maintenance.
When that time does come, it is best to have all the necessary knowledge to do everything right. So, here are some basic plumbing tips and best practices that will bring you a long way.
You Can Replace Toilet Parts (Don’t Be Afraid)
A lot of plumbing jobs can be hard to do, including taking out pipes and putting them together. But toilet repair is different.
Take off the back lid of the toilet and you are presented by the entire flushing mechanism. Most often than not, something is going to go wrong with it. Parts can wear and tear or something can break unexpectedly. Regardless, don’t be afraid to dismantle and fix them yourself.
Not much can go wrong in this particular fix. When you do commit a mistake or don’t know what you are doing, you are simply looking at a minor leak inside the toilet. The average water bill in Australia is already pretty high so you don’t want to have a leak in your house adding more to the water bill.
However, the chances of that happening are slim, because there is little to work with and most are straight to the point. If you want to do a fix, you just have to buy a replacement kit and install it yourself which can be as easy as putting shapes through the right holes.
Deal with Clogs Without Chemicals
If you are facing clogs and slow clearing drains, don’t be fast to jump to use chemicals. While they promise fast results, they don’t necessarily work all the time. It still depends on the clog in question.
The first thing you should do is to make sure that a clog is not caused by a material blockage such as hair. For you to do that, you can use a plunger to force everything out, or you can opt with pulling it out with a drain snake. When that too doesn’t work, try using a wet/dry shop vacuum.
It is only when none of these work should you start looking at chemicals.
Use Thread Tape Instead of Sealing Compounds
Whether you are putting pipes together or fixing a leak, your go-to should be thread tape. As much as possible, only opt for sealing compounds when necessarily needed.
Thread tape is much more convenient to use. Since it is not permanent, you can easily have a temporary fix professionally done without much hassle. There are also not many consequences when it is still your first time and trying to learn, compared to compounds that can get messy. Putting even the smallest amounts on the wrong places can leave two pipes to not fit at all.
Tough Pipe Fittings? Just Use Heat
Pipes can weld themselves tightly together. So much that in certain times, brute force on a pipe wrench is not going to be enough to make it budge. You can even end up risking other structures if you force it too much.
Fortunately, you have a solution, just use heat. Whether it may be caused by the shrinking of the pipes or hardened sealing compound, the right amount of heat can loosen it all. What you need is a small propane torch and concentrating the heat on the right places.
Take heed, don’t use this approach on gas pipes or non-steel pipes. Also, use heat-resistant material to protect other nearby structures.
Frequently Check for Issues
While most plumbing issues manifest themselves in the form of leaks, some can go unnoticed. In addition, places that are frequently wet can be impossible to observe for leaks such as your showerhead. A little drop here and there can easily be overlooked.
As a result, it pays to be more cautious and to set a maintenance schedule for everything. The sooner you find something going wrong, the cheaper the fix will be and the lesser money will be wasted on your water bill.
While your plumber can be just one call away, it is still much more convenient and faster to deal with plumbing issues yourself. So, these basic skills are going to come in extremely handy one way or the other. You don’t just save on money, but on time as well.
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