Five Tips For Your DIY Plumbing

Maintenance is key as a homeowner. That means taking care of everything in your house – from the roof to the floors. Your plumbing systems also fall into that category. To that end, here are five helpful tips to help you keep everything in tip-top shape.

Do a little research

If you don’t know what your plumbing fixtures look like when they’re in working order, how do you expect to know when something has gone wrong? Our plumbers over at Roto-Rooter recommend getting to know your plumbing systems. Take a peek at your hot water heater. Examine your exposed pipes. Open up your toilet tank. The more your educate yourself on your plumbing fixtures, the easier it will be to tell if something needs fixing.

Try it yourself

Surprisingly enough, there are plenty of jobs that a plumber isn’t needed for. You could repair a leaky faucet or unclog a toilet yourself. Repairs can be a lot easier than you think. For example, insulating your pipes is an inexpensive way to protect your home. Head out to your local hardware store to pick up insulation (the pink material found in unfinished basements and attics). Cut the fabric it, and wrap it around your pipes to keep them from freezing and eventually bursting. It’s a quick and easy way to help avert a major issue.

Protect your drains

Your drains are highly susceptible to blockage. That includes shower and garbage disposal drains. In fact, a clogged drain is one of the main reasons that people call in a professional. Luckily, there are precautions you can take to help prevent a backup. For your garbage disposal, it’s all about what you throw down there. The wrong kind of trash can really mess up your plumbing fixtures. Here are some items you should never put in your disposal:

• Fibrous foods like lettuce, carrots, onion skins and potato peels.
• Greasy foods or grease from cleaning.
• Food that increases in size with water like pasta, rice and other grains.
• Bones.
• Non-food items.

You don’t just have to worry about your kitchen drains, however. The pipes connected to your showers, baths, and faucets are also very sensitive to the wrong kinds of waste. For example, hair can clog a pipe quickly. Be sure to put a hair catcher over your drain to prevent blockage. If your plumbing still gets backed up, use a declogging product to eliminate the mess. If the problem persists, you may need to call a plumber to fix the issue.

Don’t ignore the problem

Issues don’t go away on their own. It may seem relatively harmless, but over time, a leaky faucet can do some heavy damage. For example, the continuation of water dripping can skyrocket your bill (you can get charged for water you didn’t even use). In addition, the moisture can grow and produce mold. If you notice something in your home is off, don’t wait. It will only cause more damage down the road.

Call a professional

Like mentioned above, there are plenty of problems you can fix yourself. There are lots of credible websites that can take you through repairs step by step. However, if you’re inexperienced, you can end up doing more harm than good. Things like backed up pipes and a broken dishwasher are just two of problems that should be left in the hands of a professional.