Plumbing Tips for Home Owners Do-It-Yourself Basics

9 Plumbing Tips Every Home Owner Should Know

There’s a fine balance when it comes to plumbing repairs. On the one hand, some issues you can handle yourself by following some basic plumbing tips for homeowners. On the flip side, if you mess up a repair, you can potentially turn a simple problem into a plumbing emergency. It’s crucial to be able to distinguish a simple job that you can take on yourself from a situation where you need to call in a local plumber near me right away.

To get the best performance from your property, you should make as few repairs as possible and follow plumbing tips for homeowners, says Everest Mechanical. You should only have to call a plumber when serious problems occur.

1. Know where the main water supply is

Whether it is connected to the municipal water supply or gets its water from a well, every house has a point where water enters it. This is the main water supply and it will usually have a valve. Knowing where the main supply is and how to shut it off is important.

2. Understand valves and seals

These make it easy for individual taps to be closed-off in different parts of the house. Seals and valves are often found near the taps but are most often hidden from view. Knowing where they are lets an owner shut off the water supply to specific parts of a building during emergencies.

3. Know where the sewer clean-out valve is

The sewer clean-out valve allows access to the main sewer line. Find out where this is for times when there is a deep clog below the house. That is the kind of blockage that cannot be fixed by plunging. In such cases, a plumber needs to clean out the sewer line by opening the valve. If the landlord does not know the location of the valve, it can be a problem.

4. Know when and how to replace the water heater

A leaky water heater can cause expensive damage that is far in excess of the time, money, and effort it takes to change it. On average, water heaters need replacing when they get between six and twelve years. Rusty water and running out of hot water too quickly are signs that a heater needs replacing. How to replace it is something property owners can learn in a couple of hours.

5. Watch the water pressure

Falling water pressure is a sure sign that there are problems with the plumbing system in a house. It is an indication of leaks within the system. Monitoring water pressure is not hard; it’s a matter of buying a simple pressure gauge from a home improvement store. If landlords want an easier system, they can install a smart home-water monitoring system.

6. Cleaning the shower head

This is another problem that looks more complicated than it actually is. Low pressure in the shower often happens because the showerhead needs cleaning. This can be solved quickly and cheaply by soaking a showerhead in vinegar. 

Place vinegar in a plastic bag and after immersing the showerhead in the vinegar, hold the plastic bag in place with a rubber band and leave it overnight. If this does not solve it, unscrew the showerhead and scrub it with a toothbrush dipped in vinegar. Then dislodge mineral deposits from the pores with a pin or toothpick. 

7. Unclogging toilets

A completely plugged or slow-draining toilet is quite easy to fix. All it takes is patience. Ways to unclog toilets include; using a toilet plunger; running a toilet or plumbing snake into the toilet; breaking up the blockage with a wire coat-hanger fashioned into an auger, and pumping it with a wet/dry vacuum cleaner, or employing an enzyme or chemical drain cleaner. 

Each solution is easy to apply and they can be used one after the other until the problem is solved.

8. Unclogging drains

The simplest way to unclog a drain is to pour baking soda down it, followed by vinegar and then boiling water. Baking soda and hot water loosen the grime. The baking soda’s interaction with vinegar produces a mildly explosive reaction that loosens any remaining dirt.

More hot water poured down the drain will wash it clean of lingering filth. If this does not fully clean the drain, use a plunger. But remember not to use the toilet plunger for a kitchen sink.

9. Fixing leaking taps/running toilets

A dripping tap or running toilet can inflate water bills significantly in a relatively short time. Dripping taps are caused by worn-out O-ring, washer, or jumper. This is solved by decoupling the tap and changing out the affected components.

A running toilet, on the other hand, results from minor malfunctions inside the tank. These can be due to a broken chain, a worn-out flapper, the arm not holding up the chain properly, or out-of-place adjustment screws. These are all problems that are easily solved in minutes.

For any Non-Do-It-Yourself plumbing repair projects, contact a plumber near me. As you perform more basic plumbing repair projects after following plumbing tips for homeowners, you’ll become more confident in your abilities, but it’s always a good idea to have a professional plumbing service you already know and like.

Give Everest Mechanical a call today – we’re always ready to help!