Any property owner knows that there are certain issues that are just unavoidable when it comes to your home?s plumbing. These issues can range from severe to minor mishaps that can easily be fixed or prevented, if you know what you?re doing.
Here are a few tips to assess whether you need the help of a commercial plumber or the use of your own tools and wits:
- Know your limitations and what kind of plumbing projects you can handle. Your house’s plumbing is a major concern when you have an issue. Put away the macho pride and understand that some plumbing projects may require help a friendly plumber. Some of the more complicated plumbing projects require specific training. Training you may not have.
- Always make sure that your water supply is turned off before you get started with fixing your plumbing. This is plumbing 101. You cannot properly fix something if it?s still operational. In this case that would be your running water. Anything running will prolong the process and might even cause more damage to your pipes. Make sure everything is turned off and that no one else has access to it while work is being done on the pipes.
- Last but not least, prepare the right tools. If you’re going to do any kind of plumbing repair there are some basic, essential tools that you will need to get the job done right with less physical effort on your part. Having the right tools at hand saves you time and energy, while making the difference between the job being difficult or easy. Best of all, since there are so many homeowners who have these common plumbing and issues and are looking to avoid the help of plumbing contractors, finding the right tools is an easy gig that may not cost you more than an arm and a leg.
- A Pipe Wrench
- Basin Wrench
- Seat Wrench
- Water meter key
- Drain Snake
- Plumber?s putty
- Teflon Tape
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Here?s what you?ll need:
With your tools at hand you are ready to tackle the most here are some common plumbing issues:
A leaky faucet.According to research, the average household’s leaks can account for more than 10,000 gallons of water wasted every year, or the amount of water needed to wash 270 loads of laundry. These leaks can happen around the faucet handles or drip from the water spout. To fix a leaky faucet you must first remove the handle, pop out the mechanism, and replace it or seal it. If you?re able to detect what’s causing the leak you can purchase the pieces and replace them yourself or just replace the entire faucet all together if need be.
Replacing or installing a new sink faucet. Before you get started with the installation you must figure out what type of faucet you need and match the faucet with the amount of holes within the sink. Take a good look under the sink to see how many holes are there and match it with your new faucet.
A running toilet. This issue is usually caused by one of three things. It might be that the tank valves are not closing all the way down and allowing water to run out into the bowl, there may be too much water in the bowl causing it to overflow, or you might have an issue with the flushing valve.
If the tank valve is not closing all the way make sure that there is nothing obstructing it from closing. This can be anything from mineral deposits or mucky buildup. Clean the valve of any deposits and give it a go. If there’s too much water in in the bowl either use a cup to scoop water out or adjust the float cup with the use of a screw driver. Lowering the float cup will also lower the water. Its it’s the flushing valve that is malfunctioning, just remove the tank bowl using a screwdriver, remove the old flush valve underneath the tank bowl, and install the new one.
If you are preparing to handle a multitude of plumbing projects, its best to not go at it alone since it might take you some time to complete. Know when to ask for help and call an expert when needed.