Do-It-Yourself Plumbing

. . Clogged drains are a common problem, but they can often be resolved without calling in a professional. Moreover, you don’t need to use toxic chemicals to clear your clog. With a bit of patience and some tried and true methods, you can often unclog your drain by yourself in a reasonably short amount of time.  . How To Unclog a Drain with Septic System . To unclog a clogged drain with a septic system, it’s important to be able to identify there is a septic tank clogged drain or pipe. Since the septic tank is an underground storage tank that holds the waste and toilet paper that is flushed from your home and into the drain field, it’s reasonable for clogs to occur. The pipe leading from your house to the septic system is a main drain line prone to many clogs or even damages. Some of the

Drains can and will become clogged throughout the daily usage that homeowners and their families place on the drains and plumbing system of the home. When blockages occur, whether in the kitchen sink, bathroom sink, tub drain or shower drain, garbage disposal, or any sink drain with stubborn clogs, backups, or even a slow drain issue, there are other solutions than immediately turning to chemical drain cleaners like Drano or Liquid Plumber.  Why You Should Not Use Drano Many people associate drain clogs with Drano or other products with toxic chemicals that are supposed to clear or prevent clogs. Plumbers, in general, do not suggest using these caustic and harsh chemicals since they can cause damage to the pipes and fittings in the house. Drano also joins wastewater and will end up in rivers and streams, causing harm to the environment. Furthermore, suppose a plumber is working on a drain

Whether you are using your bathroom sink or kitchen sink or ready to feel the hot water hit you as you shower. Whenever there is a blockage, and you have a clogged drain, life can feel like it stops until that backup clears and the drain opening is restored.  Often, the best way to deal with stubborn clogs is to prevent them from happening at all. Homeowners use many DIY drain cleaning tricks, from baking soda, vinegar, and drain cleaner to corkscrews and other items to keep the build-up to a minimum, for floor drains, main drains, shower drains, bathtub drains, sink drains, drain pipes, p-traps and more.  If you are past being able to prevent a clogged drain, however, there are a number of options and tools at your disposal. The most common being a plunger and drain snakes. While cleaning and plunging can often do the trick, sometimes,

It only takes a scratch or tear from corrosion or an accident, to create high pressure in a gas line, and this can cause natural gas leak; allowing the gas pressure of the natural gas, or other gases, to start seeping through the natural gas lines, causing a gas leak. Such a gas leak poses a serious safety hazard, one that requires swift attention by expert professionals, normally a plumber, to perform a gas line repair. You may smell rotten eggs, which is due to the additive in the natural gas, which is there to alert those around it of a possible gas line leak. Whether the leak is from your water heater, gas piping or gas valve, or other gas appliances, you may hear a hissing sound or smell gas. . It is in your best interests to immediately contact the gas company, and then a qualified plumber, for

Do you have a clogged kitchen sink drain and are not sure what to do? Homeowners have used many different methods to remove the clogs in kitchen sinks for years. Whether on the side with a garbage disposal or the regular sink drain side, some homeowners may use baking soda, boiling water, chemical drains cleaners like Drano, and others to cure the standing water problem from kitchen sink clogs. Sometimes it’s as easy as removing food waste or buildup that has collected in the strainer over the faucet drain, using rubber gloves or pliers to remove the waste. Other times it’s from coffee grounds, egg shells, or orange peels acting as a stopper in the garbage disposal to having a clog in the PVC pipes p-trap, which may require a plumber’s snake/drain snake to clear that clog and getting the cold and hot water draining again. With a few affordable

If the Water is Staying in the Washing Machine Does the water sit in the machine after your load has finished and the water level doesn’t go down, or do you have a slow water flow when draining? The issue probably lies with the washer. This problem could be traced to the drain tube (which comes out of the machine), the lid switch or the drain pump (an internal issue).  There are generally 2 types of washing machines: front load washer and top-loading washing machines. Both of these will attach to washing machine drain pipes, and both the top and front loader washing machines can be susceptible to kinks or a blockage in the drain hose, or a clog in the drain line. Troubleshooting this is simple enough and with a little know how you can determine the cause of the problem. Use pliers to squeeze the spring fitting or

Shut off valves, or water shut off valves, are vital in your home’s plumbing system. It allows homeowners and plumbers alike the ability to cut off the water pressure when there is a plumbing emergency or while installing plumbing fixtures or performing plumbing repairs.  Shut off valves are like doors for water pressure, and allow plumbers and DIY’ers to stop the flow of water in your water supply line, or even your main water supply. . Types of Shut Off Valves  . As your home’s toilet, washing machine, icemaker, water heater and sink shut off valves are rarely used, when you do try to cut off the water supply, you may find that the valves no longer function. Whatever the reason, if you need to get a new shut off valve, you will need some basic info on water shut off valves in general, as well as main water shut

Why Should You Clean Your Water Heater Homeowners know an important part of home maintenance is cleaning your hot water heater, especially when preparing it for winter. Doing so can increase the lifespan of your hot water tank and will help to ensure you have a working hot water faucet with good water pressure that performs consistently well. This is important for both gas water heaters and electric water heaters. If calcium and sediment buildup starts to accumulate inside your water heater tank, it could disrupt water flow and could cause your water heater to perform poorly. Bacteria could start to thrive in the slush coating the tank’s bottom. If your area is known for hard water, you may have to do this maintenance more often. . Sometimes, this sediment could cause the water at the bottom of the water heater to overheat. The water could become steam, and if

Do you have a toilet that’s rocking back and forth? Would you describe your toilet as “wobbly”? Are you worried that your toilet tank may start leaking on the bathroom floor because your rocking toilet moves so much? If so, will the entire wobbly toilet need to be replaced, or can it be fixed? Rocking Toilet Reasons Mounting Bolts Sometimes, all that’s necessary to stop a rocking toilet is to tighten the mounting bolts / flange bolts a little bit. However, make sure that you don’t crank the loose bolts down too tight, because doing so could crack the ceramic, which turns this easy fix into more than a trip to the hardware store. Flange / Wax Ring The flange at the base of the toilet is where the toilet is connected to the drain pipe in the floor. A wax ring is part of the connection at the bottom

Do it yourself (DIY) is the latest craze when it comes to home repairs. How many of us have watched a decorating or home repair project on television and thought, “Sure, I can do that!” only to find out that not only could you not do it, you made a terrible mess in the process. Deciding when to DIY or hire a professional should be decided on a project by project basis. When it comes to plumbing projects and services like installing a faucet, it’s always worth hiring a professional plumber that has the skill and expertise to get the job done right… the first time. Whether you are replacing a leaky faucet or want to add a new sleek design to your kitchen or bathroom sink, a new faucet may seem like something you can easily do on your own; however, if you install it improperly, it’s going to