Did you know that you can use the same antifreeze that you use in your car to help prevent your home...

1. Choose The Best Plumbing professional For The Job
Did you know that you can use the same antifreeze that you use in your car to help prevent your
home plumbing from freezing? To find out how and why, as well as other great tips for how to
maintain your home plumbing, read the following article right away.
The next time you have a clogged drain, avoid the simple solution of dumping drain-clearing
chemicals into the pipes. While this method involves the least amount of effort, the chemicals in
these liquid cleaners are destructive to your piping. Instead, consider using a little bit of elbow
grease with a plunger, snake, or other device designed to clear your clog without chemicals.
Check how well your toilets are flushing. If the handle needs to be played with in order to keep the
water from running constantly, or if it needs to be held down several times in order to flush, you may
need to switch out some of the parts in your tank. This is not expensive, and it could help reduce
your monthly water bill. It could also mean that you avoid the embarrassment of the flushing system
breaking when you have visitors!
To winterize a house that will sit unused during the winter months, you must completely
http://1drv.ms/1Bnt603 drain all of the pipes. After turning off the main water supply, let all of the
water drain from the faucets, toilets, and water heater (turn off the gas). Add a quart of antifreeze to
sinks and the tub to prevent water from freezing in the drain trap.
Save money by getting better shower heads. Energy efficient shower heads can save you money on
your energy bill and water bill. If you invest in purchasing and installing shower heads that are
energy-efficient, you can realize savings of approximately $100 each year for each shower head.
Before the cold season hits, check out the
condition of your gutters on the roof of your
house. Remove all debris, leaves and branches
so that you can have a smooth flow of water and
easy drainage. Caretaking in advance will help
to prevent serious issues with plumbing down
the road.
If water is not coming to the dishwasher, you
most likely have a blockage somewhere. You will
need to turn off the water supply and remove the
hose that leads to the dishwasher. After securing
the hose, turn the water back on. See if it feeds
into a bowl. If not, then you must find the block
where it is at which may include removing more
piping.
The most important plumbing tip you need to
know is -- how to turn off your home's main
water supply. Once the water is shut off, you can
investigate problems and figure out how to

2. resolve them. Walk the family through the house
and show them where all the water shut-off valves are, and how to use them.
Look online for reviews of the plumbing contractor you are thinking of hiring. If people are not
satisfied with the work that the plumber preforms, many times they will go on the internet and post
negative reviews. If they are happy with the plumber they will also post positive reviews.
Avoid pouring grease or oil down your kitchen sink drain. Grease and oil can build up in your pipes
and cause a backup. Instead, wait for the grease or oil to cool and solidify and either throw it away
or see if there's a place to recycle it near your home.
If you own property where the temperature gets below freezing for an extended amount of time each
year, you should make sure that pipes located in unheated areas, such as crawl spaces and garages,
are insulated. Pipes that are exposed to the outside elements or those that are prone to freezing,
should be protected by heat tape or thermostat-controlled heat cables to prevent them from
freezing.
Plumbing should only be done by professionals if there is a major problem or if you do not
understand plumbing. Many of the big problems that plumbers deal with, actually have simple
solutions. The average person, who does not understand the intricacies of plumbing, usually end up
compounding the problem by causing other costly damage to the house during the failed repair. The
plumber will need to be called in the end, anyway.
If you are having any kind of problems with your water line or plumbing in general then you will first
want to cut of your water supply. One of the most common mistakes that people make is to leave
their water running while they are trying to fix things and this leads to bigger problems.
You may want to consider tankless water heaters if you want to conserve water in your home. These
kind of water heaters heat up your water as soon as it is being used, so you are not wasting energy
on keeping your water hot when it is not being used.
To prevent the most common kitchen sink clogs, avoid putting any sort of solid foods down your
drain. Many foods, such as eggs and vegetable and fruit waste actually harden with exposure to cold
water and over time can form clogs that are next to impossible to remove without professional help.
The water heater in your home needs to have regular flushing to its plumbing in order to work
properly. There is usually a valve at the bottom of the water heater that a hose can be attached to.
Connect a hose to this valve and open it up all the way to flush scale and deposits out of the system.
Plumbing choices can come in many ways. One decision you need to make as a homeowner is to
purchase a tank-less water heater. One thing to remember if you are considering a tank-less heater.
You will pay two to three times more than if you purchase a tank heater.
If you live in a very cold area, think about using heat tape and pipe wrap to protect the pipes that
might be exposed to the cold. Do not settle for cheap materials that would not protect your plumbing

3. system from the cold efficiently. Make sure you protect your
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_heating whole plumbing system.
The best thing you can do if you smell a foul odor coming from your toilet is to call a plumber. There
is a good chance that you may have a sewer backup. Not only can this cause pipe damage, but
inhaling the smells from sewer backups is harmful to your help.
Plumbing can be a very effective skill to have in your tool belt for whatever needs you may have. You
may already know the basics and want to know how to save time and money by doing repairs,
yourself. No matter your reasons, hopefully, the tips in this article has given you some ideas.