It is important that your plumbing works properly when you are looking to manage your home. The real...

1. Useful Concepts That Make Your Plumbing Work Better
It is important that your plumbing works properly when you are looking to manage your home. The
reality is that plumbing can require urgent attention at times, and repairs can be quite expensive.
Read on to learn some amazingly useful tips to help you keep your home plumbing in great shape all
by yourself!
If you have pipes that make hammering and squeaking noises, you have one easy repair. You must
anchor any type of exposed pipe. If pipes are located in the floor, ceiling or walls, you might want to
have a professional help you complete the project.
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.
Avoid the bursting of pipes due to the change in the temperature. You need to allow the flow of heat
to reach http://www.dli.mn.gov/CCLD/Plumbing.asp under the sinks and into the pipes, you have to
keep the cabinet doors of the bathrooms and kitchens open. It is important to keep water running at
both hot and cold faucets along with vanities that are in close proximity to exterior walls.
To avoid wasting water and having a potentially high water bill, check your home for leaky faucets
periodically. Fix any leaks that you find right away. You may be able to do the repair yourself, but if
not, you may have to seek the services of a plumber to make the repairs.
If your water is coming out black, then most likely you have an iron and magnesium issue to your
water. You need to contact a water softener company, and get them to come out and assess your
water. They will be able to fix the problem by adding a water softener.
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.
Keep an eye on the hoses for your
dishwasher and washing machine. These
hoses can leak and bulge, which can be a
problem. Check them for signs of wear and
tear and replace any hoses more than 10
years old. You'll find that these hoses age
well, but you have got to make sure they are
doing the job they should.
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

2. expensive problem. Check outdoor pipes for other problems such as leaks and cracks which are
better to catch early.
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.
The key to finding a great plumber for new construction is to look at their prior jobs. Good plumbers
take pride in the work they do, so they will have photos and references from previous jobs. If the
plumber you are considering hiring does not have references or photos of previous jobs, then stay
away and find another.
Keep an eye on the hoses for your dishwasher and washing machine. These hoses can leak and
bulge, which can be a problem. Check them for signs of wear and tear and replace any hoses more
than 10 years old. You'll find that these hoses age well, but you have got to make sure they are doing
the job they should.
Make sure to never leave any flammable liquids near your water heater. Certain liquids like
gasoline, solvents, or adhesives are flammable, and if left too close to the water heater, can ignite. If
you have to have these liquids in your basement, place it far away from your water heater.
Use a product like BioBen if you are planning to leave your system shut off for a few weeks. Water
will still remain in the pipes and could start smelling because it is not moving. This type of product
will keep the water from stagnating and from smelling too bad.
Having http://howardroyden.tumblr.com/ to wiggle the toilet handle or hold it down to get your toilet
to fully flush indicates that the tank parts need to be replaced. Kits that include all of the parts
needed can be purchased in any hardware or home improvement store to easily do the repair
yourself.
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.
When purchasing new plumbing fixtures, you might want to consider brass ones. Brass models pose
the advantages of durability and longevity. Also, the look of brass fixtures is much nicer than similar
counterparts. These are located in most home repair store.
Check for calcium and mineral deposits by turning on both the kitchen sink and the bathtub. If the
volume of water is low, it may be time for you to replace pipes due to deposits of calcium and other
minerals. Check the water pressure and consider calling a professional to handle the entire job.
Every so often you should check your toilet for leaks. A good way to check for leaks would be to put
food coloring, Kool-Aid, or even coffee in the tank, anything that will color the water will work. You
should check your toilet bowl in a little bit, and if there is color in the bowl, your toilet is leaking and
the stopper and/or flush valve may need changed.

3. As you can see, plumbing problems don't have
to be so difficult. If you can solve the problem
yourself, you can save time waiting for a
plumber, as well as saving a whole lot of
money. Try applying what you've learned
from this article next time you have a
plumbing problem!