DIY Plumbing Tips from a Southwest Florida Plumbing Company

Tackle minor plumbing issues like a pro with these expert DIY tips from a trusted Southwest Florida plumbing company. Save time, money, and stress!

What You Should Know About Plumbing

            There are some things that you need to know about plumbing to keep your home safe from emergencies. These things will help you prevent those horrible things from happening. You don’t want to have clogs, leaks, or other damage to your pipes.

            With these plumbing hacks and some regular maintenance, you can avoid the need to call in a plumber. A plumber can be expensive if you don’t take care of your pipes. You don’t want to have to pay for one if you can avoid it.

            There are many plumbers in the area that you can call if you need a good plumber. One such place is Armstrong Bros Plumbing, which has been around for many years. They can help you if you need a great plumber to help you with your pipes.

            This article will give you some tips on how to keep your pipes clear. It will help you avoid costly plumbing mistakes. You can also do more research to find the information that you are seeking.

Plumbing Tips

1.    Flush Only Toilet Paper – You don’t want to flush anything down your toilet except toilet paper. You don’t want to flush things like feminine hygiene products or cotton swabs because they can clog up your plumbing. This will lead to expensive repairs.

You can even have a problem if you try to flush too much toilet paper at one time. If you discover that you have too many clogs, you might want to switch to low-flow toilet paper. This will help you avoid those costly clogs.

2.    Check for Leaks Often – If you want to save money on your water bill, check for leaks often. Even a small leak can lead to a big water bill if you aren’t careful. You want to repair those leaks as soon as you find them to save money.

Maintaining your plumbing regularly will help you avoid costly repairs. When you are looking for leaks, you can also look for other small problems that you might find. You can repair many small problems all on your own.

3.    Where is Your Main shut-off valve? You should know exactly where your main shut-off valve for your water is. See more here. This is just in case you have a bad leak or a pipe bursts – you can shut the water off immediately. You don’t want to spend time looking for it as your home fills with water.

4.    You Should Replace Old Valves and Pipes as Soon as Possible – By replacing these as soon as possible, you can avoid costly repairs when they break. You might want to replace your old shower heads, sink faucets, or other plumbing fixtures before they get too old. When they get old, they start breaking and causing bigger problems down the road.

5.    Drain Strainers – Use drain strainers on every drain that you can. This will help prevent things from going down the drain that you don’t want to. This includes things such as hair, excess debris, and other particles that you don’t want to go down your drain.

6.    No Using Harsh Chemicals – You never want to use harsh chemicals to clean your toilets and sinks. You also don’t want to use them to clear your clogs, as this can cause problems with your pipes. If you have a clog, it is best to call in a professional plumber to unclog it.

Calling in a professional will cost you less in the long run if you have a clog. If you begin to use harsh chemicals, you could have burst pipes and other problems. You will probably pay less to have your drain unclogged than you would if you had a burst pipe.

7.    Try Insulating Your Pipes – Insulating your pipes can keep them warmer during harsh weather conditions: https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/do-it-yourself-savings-project-insulate-hot-water-pipes. Frozen pipes are one of the biggest problems that you can have – and if they freeze, they can burst. You can avoid this by just insulating them during the summer months, so they are ready for you in the winter months.

8.    Don’t Put Fats or Grease Down Your Drains – Grease, fat, and oil do not belong down your drain because they can cause clogs when they solidify. You should dispose of those items in your trash can or recyclable bin. This way, you can avoid those problems that you might have.

It can get expensive to have a plumber come out and clear grease, fat, and oil from your drains. You don’t want to call a plumber by doing something that can be avoided. Keep these items away from your drain so that you won’t need to call in a professional.

9.    Garbage Disposal Tips – You need to be careful what you put down your garbage disposal, as well. You don’t want to put bones, vegetable peels, or fruit pits down because they can damage the garbage disposal or cause clogs if they get through. You don’t want to damage the blades on your garbage disposal.

10. Empty Your P Traps – You need to empty your p-traps on a regular basis to avoid clogging your pipes. These are the curved sections of your pipe that help prevent odors from coming up your drain and keep blockages from coming back up. Emptying these regularly will keep your drains from becoming clogged.

Conclusion

            There are many things that you can do to avoid costly plumbing problems. Some of these are as easy as avoiding putting certain items down your drains or cleaning your p-traps. Others take a little more work from you, but they are worth it to avoid the cost of a plumber.

            There are many different companies that you can call that will give you estimates of what it will cost you to come in to repair your pipes. You don’t want to choose the least expensive of these because they might not be the best. You also don’t need to choose the most expensive because they might not be able to do the job either. You should read reviews and talk to friends and family to find a good plumber.

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