10 Plumbing Advice Everybody Should Know

Understanding where the shut-off valves are

Make a note of where the main shut-off valve and drain are before moving into a new residence (in some cases, the shut-off will be located outside the house). If you need to perform routine clean-outs, you should also become familiar with sewer line access sites. Remember that condominiums and apartments might not have exclusive shut-off valves.

Avoid puncturing pipes.

Are you going to put holes in your walls, flooring, or ceiling with drills or nails? To avoid accidentally puncturing any supply or drainage lines, you should check the area behind your work area for such pipes. With a cheap stud finder, you might be able to discover pipelines hidden behind walls. An endoscopic camera, which can be snuck into the walls, is an alternative.

Discover What Is Flushable

Due to the unpleasant clogs caused by flushing anything other than toilet paper, homeowners shouldn’t use their toilet as a garbage can. Even “flushable” baby wipes can cause system backups!

Avoid flushing garbage down the drain.

Never pour coffee grounds, food scraps, bacon grease, vegetable peelings, or starchy items like potatoes or rice down the kitchen sink; they will almost surely clog your pipes. To find out exactly what your garbage disposal is capable of handling, it’s a good idea to study the owner’s manual.

Take a Chance

Invest in a high-quality plunger to unclog clogs in toilets, sinks, and drains. Use a plunger to remove most of the water from the sink trap before removing it if you want to clean it. There will be a lot less mud and water on the task.

Pull the vacuum out

Use a wet-dry vacuum to clear a blockage brought on by a small, hard object (such as a child’s toy, toothbrush, or comb). Sucking the thing out is more efficient, and a plunger will force it deeper into the drain, making removal more challenging.

Don’t Disregard Leaks.

Money is represented by a fixture’s continuous drip, drip. In actuality, a running toilet can use up to 200 gallons of water daily, compared to the eight gallons a leaking faucet generally wastes daily. Prevent huge, expensive problems from arising by swiftly fixing small ones.

Avoid overtightening fittings.

Overtightening connections and fittings can result in stripped screws and damaged bolts, a typical DIY plumbing mistake. “Hand-tight is just right” is a proverb to keep in mind.

Get to Know Plumber’s Tape

Plumber’s tape, commonly known as Teflon tape, is used to seal pipe threads to stop leaks at joints and fittings. The plumber’s tape should normally be wrapped around the pipe threads three times before filling. Also, remember that white video is made for routine plumbing projects around the house, while the yellow tape is used for gas line connections.

Check for leaks constantly.

After every plumbing project, run water through the system, then open and close all valves and drains to check for leaks. Even experienced plumbers occasionally fail to detect a small leak and must reseal a connection.