Plumbing maintenance is one of the biggest responsibilities of home ownership. Sometimes, your plumbing needs attention and you may not be able to afford a plumber or it may be a bad time to call one. Some basic tips here will allow you to take care of your own home’s plumbing needs.

You need to insulate any pipes have exposure to outside elements to avoid them freezing. You should also keep the temperature in the home above freezing to avoid your pipes freezing. If the temperature surrounding these pipes is below the freezing point, your pipes could freeze. It could take some time in order for the pipes to thaw out so that you can have running water. However, they could burst, and that could make a mess and result in a big repair bill.

Septic Tank

Noisy pipes is an easy do-it-yourself project. Those pipes will need to be anchored if they are exposed. Enlisting the aid of a professional may be necessary if any of the pipes are located in the floors, walls, or ceiling.

If you want to maintain effective functionality in your spetic tank, pumping it out twice a decade is a really good idea. This will stop any buildup in your septic tank and prevent any horrible issues. White it is somewhat expensive to pump the septic tank, it will be much more expensive should you need to clean backup, repair your septic tank or replace it altogether.

If you have a clogged toiled with a lower water lever, and the plunger isn’t working, try pouring in some warm water directly into the toilet. If one attempt doesn’t solve the problem, you can do it again once the water level stabilizes.

If your garbage disposal is not working correctly, you should not try to fix it by putting your hand in through the drain. Garbage disposals are not healthy places for hands to be, even if they are not running. You can look online to find the diagram for the disposal that you have.

When it gets very cold, your pipes may freeze. If it does, relieve the pressure in the pipe by turning on the tap so the water can be released as the pipe thaws. This relieves the pressure contained in the pipe as it also prevents it from bursting, which would reduce the damage done to your house.

Try to never pour grease, fat, or any oil-based liquids into your drains. These materials may be liquid when you pour them in, but they will solidify and cause problems. As an owner of a garbage disposal, this is important because the blades will stop working if they have fat on them. Dump your oil outside or in a container that you throw out with the regular trash.

Kitchen Sink

Having water leaking into the dishwasher, however annoying, is luckily an easy fix. The hose that runs from the kitchen sink to the dishwasher is not installed properly, and can be corrected quickly. The hose leading from the kitchen sink to the dishwasher must lead uphill and then back downhill in order to prevent mixing of water from both devices.

Stay away from bleach tablets, blue tablets for the toilet and other toilet odor removers. While they are good at removing odors, they have a detrimental effect on the parts of the toilet that are rubber. This can make it not function correctly and may even break it.

Remember that your toilet is not intended to be used to dispose of trash. Don’t put disposable sanitary objects down the toilet. The sewage system cannot deal with these items and will become clogged. Also, be conservative in your use of toilet paper.

Enzyme-based cleaners are the best bet for unclogging stubborn clogged pipes. Enzyme-based cleaners actually digest part of the sludge, liquefying it, and cleaning your drain naturally. These enzyme cleaners are probably the best that exist.

A costly repair, in regards to plumbing, are frozen pipes. This can usually be prevented. Start by insulating the outside pipes fully. When wintertime comes, disconnect and drain your hoses and shut off outside faucets. Be proactive about this and save on future repair bills.

Do not attempt fixing your garbage disposal with bare hands. Even while turned off, the garbage disposal is still a dangerous place for your fingers. Locate a diagram of the garbage disposal, or some sort of troubleshooter, online.

If there is grout stuck in your line, it is most likely going to be a lost cause attempting to clean it all yourself. You can attempt to break up some of the grout which works to help the line go a bit smoother. This works better with plastic piping than it does with metal. However, you are likely going to have to call in a professional plumber to take care of this problem.

By now, you have learned a number of great ways to maintain your plumbing. Taking care of your own plumbing needs allows you to fix problems more quickly and for a much lower price.