Top Ten Plumbing Tips Every Homeowner Needs to Know

Copyright (c) 2012 Mike Danich

Forewarned is forearmed, especially when it pertains to plumbing. Repairs can be quite expensive so it is crucial for you and everyone in your residence to know a few plumbing fundamentals which can save you time and money in the future. Even children as young as five can learn a few plumbing pointers! Here are the top ten plumbing checks every homeowner needs to know:

1. Plumbing issues may require swift thinking and movement on your part or that of a family member. Everyone in your residence should know where the primary cutoff for the water is, just in case.

2. Find out how to read your water meter. When nobody else is home and you know there is no water running, examine your meter to make certain none of the dials are moving. If they are, then you may quite possibly have a water leak somewhere. Toilets and sinks are the most possible culprits and can add a few hundreds dollars an every year to your water bill.

3. Check for toilet leaks by placing a few drops of food coloring in the tank. About 20 minutes later, inspect the toilet bowl for any appearance of color. If you do see something, there may be seepage around the flapper valve. It is a very easy fix as long as you know there is a problem.

4 Try to drain a few gallons of water from your hot water heater tank two times a year. This ensures the valve operates and also allows sediment collecting at the base of the tank to clear out, enhancing heating efficiency. Better yet, if you have the funds invest in a tankless water heater and watch your utility bills lower because no energy is spent keeping gallons and gallons of water hot in a storage tank. A tankless water heater heats water on demand, when you want it.

5 When you toilet looks like it could overflow, remove the tank top and press down on the flush valve, efficiently plugging the hole at the bottom of the tank. This prevents the toilet from overflowing while you identify the source of the clog causing the problem.

6. Keep all water and drain valves functional by opening and closing them at least several times a year. If you do not do this, a valve may freeze up eventually. So if you are caught in a plumbing dilemma and can not turn the valve off, you could be facing serious problems and expense.

7. Discover where the stop valves are for the spouts and toilets in your home. This permits you to turn off water at the problem source rather than trouble an entire household by turning off the main valve to the home.

8. Keep a plunger around for stopped up sinks and toilets as they are reliable tools for plumbing troubles.

9. Invest in a few replacement components such as a toilet kit and rubber gaskets for those straightforward plumbing fixes around the home.

10. Avoid chemical drain cleaners for removing blockages. Instead use a plunger or invest in a roto rooter tool called an auger, nickname "snake," for those tough obstructions in plumbing pipes.

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