7 Plumbing Tips For Homeowners

These 7 plumbing tips for homeowners will help you save yourself some money. There are so many things you have to take charge of as a homeowner whether it is gardening, plumbing or even maintaining your home’s paintwork. Of course, all of these can add up. It would be wise of a savvy homeowner to try to do some basic maintenance work themselves.

1. Check Your Dishwasher Regularly For Leaks

Dishwasher leaks usually happen when the drain hose that connects the dishwasher to the main sink isn’t installed properly. Normally, this hose should stand vertically to allow the water to cascade straight down the drain.

When placed in any other position, it’ll cause annoying leaks requiring constant clean-ups. The good news is that it’s easy to fix this problem. All you have to do is position it correctly so that it acts as a waterway from the sink to your dishwasher, and nothing else.

It also helps to check your connections for other leaks on a regular basis and to ensure that they’re screwed tightly at all times. Things like taps need to be replaced as soon as they show any signs of leaking.

2. Pay Attention If Your Toilet Is Constantly Running

The constant trickle of running toilet water is one of the most annoying sounds ever, not to mention wasteful. But most importantly it’s probably a sign that your toilet’s flapper is damaged.

One way to resolve this is to check if your flapper’s closed properly. If that’s fine and the problem still persists, it might be a good idea to replace the flapper with a new one to avoid escalating water bills.

Cracks on the toilet bowl or tank can also cause leaks. One way to test if this is the case is to pour a half teaspoon of food colouring into the tank water. If it changes colour, then your toilet is most likely leaking as a result of a cracked tank.

3. Unclog The Shower Drain

With all the debris we put into our shower drains every day and the buildup of mineral deposits, it’s no surprise that they get clogged sometimes. Question is, what to do about it?

If pulling it out with your hands sounds too revolting, you can try this simple DIY tip:

Scrub it down with an old toothbrush and some water mixed with vinegar. Or you can remove the shower head altogether and soak it in the warm vinegar water overnight and rinse it thoroughly afterward to remove all the muck. Installing a strainer in your shower drain can also help to prevent debris build up in the future.

4. Constantly Running Out Of Hot Water?

This can be a recurrent problem for big family homes where hot water serves multiple functions. You could solve it by cutting back on your hot water usage. For example you could use the hot water to wash your dishes and showers and use cold water to wash hands and laundry. Another tip would be to only run the washing machine and dishwasher at night when there’s less demand on your heater.

If that doesn’t sound like something you want to do, you can always upgrade to a larger water heater unit that’s more suited to your family’s needs. And refrain from placing flammable items near the heater to prevent future damage.

5. Clearing a Clogged Sink

A build-up of small food items, oils and other debris may clog the drain, which in turn clogs your sink. A great DIY solution is to pour baking soda followed by vinegar and hot water down the drain to unclog it. You can also use store bought chemicals for the same process but you’ll have to remove any visible debris from the drain before hand.

In the long run, it might be a good idea to fit your drain with a strainer and practice good drain etiquette. Like clearing the food debris from your plates before washing them and avoid pouring cooking oil or fat down the drain.

6. Clean The Lint From Your Washing Machine

Having too much lint build up in the lint trap can compromise your machine’s ability to thoroughly wash your clothes, leaving them dull and sometimes even with unsightly washing powder patches. Checking the lint trap and removing lint regularly (after every wash) will ensure that your machine runs smoothly and prevent any blockages that might result from lint build up.

You could also place a piece of old panty hose or wire trap on your machine’s draining hose for better drainage.

7.  Cleaning a Clogged Toilet

There you are flushing your toilet and all of a sudden the water starts rising up the toilet seat and spurting all over the place.  I know, we all dread this moment. Luckily, cleaning a clogged toilet isn’t all that bad.

Using a plunger (which you should always have in your house), plunge the toilet repeatedly, flushing in-between to check for progress.

Once the blockage has cleared, place some old towels on the floor to soak up the overspill. The toilet should flush fast and effectively after this.

To avoid future blockage, refrain from flushing foreign items such as diapers, cotton pads, swabs, sanitary products and even wet wipes. These items are hard to dispose of and are the usual culprits when it comes to clogged toilets.

Conclusion

With these simple owner tips from waterdamagerestorationdallastexas, you won’t have to call on your plumber for every little problem. Sometimes all it takes is a little bit of know-how and some hard work, and practicing general good plumbing etiquette isn’t that hard either. Try these maintenance tips and you should be just fine!