Plumbing is one of the most useful home maintenance skills that you can learn. Plumbing affects your sink, your toilet, and your shower and bath, all essential household utilities. Despite the importance of plumbing to the smooth running of our homes, surprisingly few of us actually know how to perform many basic plumbing tasks.
Hiring a professional plumber to fix simple issues is money that doesn’t need to be spent. Unless the problem is a more complicated one, most plumbing issues can be fixed by someone with the correct tools and know-how. Even just learning a few of the more basic plumbing maintenance and repair tips can end up saving you a fantastic amount of money.
Here is a small selection of some of the essential pieces of plumbing maintenance tasks that every homeowner should know.
Test the Quality of Your Water
There are two main sources of water for the home: a private pump, pumping water from a residential well, or a city water line. Many rural properties have their own water source, and a pump to get the water to their home. On the other hand, urban dwellers will receive their water from a larger communal source. You can find out what the source of your water is, and what type of water it is, by asking your utility company.
You can test the quality of your water by purchasing a home testing kit from any of a number of suppliers. Suppliers of drinking water are legally obligated to test the quality of their water every year and to make the results available. However, there is nothing to stop you from testing the water for yourself.
Locate Your Water Main
Knowing where your water main is will help you to respond quickly to any leaks. If a plumbing problem is causing flooding and water damage to your home, then turning the water mains off quickly will minimize the amount of damage your home suffers. If you already know where your water mains is, you will find it much easier to quickly shut it off in an emergency.
In almost all cases, there will be a main valve located near the street, and another secondary valve located in or around the property itself, often in the basement. If you are unsure about how to locate and identify features in your home, then check out The Plumbing Info for articles and tips.
Plunge a Toilet
There are few feelings quite like that sinking feeling that comes from flushing the toilet and seeing the water steadily rise beyond where it should. A clogged toilet can be a major pain, but usually, it is relatively easy to solve. Most people know that you need a plunger, but many don’t know how to use it.
The trick is to ensure that the plunger is pressed tightly against the hole in the toilet, creating a seal. It is then a case of thrusting the plunger up and down until the blockage is cleared.
These tasks are a great starting point for anyone who wants to be more competent at fixing their own plumbing issues, but there are many more things to learn. Taking the time to learn some DIY plumbing tips is well worth it to allow you to tackle more issues on your own.