Plumbing problems happen frequently and can also be very expensive if you have to call a plumber to do the repair work. Our goal here is to provide you with the basic information you need to made simple plumbing repairs yourself and perhaps save you a little money. We have spent a lifetime using the information you will find on this website and it has always been of great valve in maintaining our home. We certainly don't claim to be experts, but the information here has assisted us in knowing when to call in the professionals.
The cold winter can be tough on our water pipes. Just like a lot of other things that we own, our water pipes start to deteriorate with time and use. In the winter months this can be especially true. If you live in a region that experiences below freezing temperature you take steps to prevent your water pipes from freezing and possibly bursting. The most obvious sign that you might have frozen pipes is that there is only a trickle or no water at all coming out when you turn on the faucet. If this happens in very cold temperatures you probably have a water line leading to the faucet that is frozen.
If you feel you have the necessary skills you should easily be able to complete this job in a day or sooner, if you have more experience. You may also need an assistant because of the weight of the toilet and it can be quite bulky to handle by yourself. This is not the time to take on your first plumbing job, if you have any doubts of your skill level you may want to call a plumber on this one. But, if you think you can handle all that is involved from dealing with the weight, water supply connections and the open sewer line you could save yourself some money by doing it yourself.
Sewer line issues are considered a major and urgent type of repair in the plumbing business. If you have some type of issue with your sewage system, you need to start the repairs as soon as possible. A leaking sewer line can spread bacteria and contaminate the surrounding area and possibly your ground water supply very rapidly. This would not be a safe environment for you, your family or your pets. It is better to act sooner rather than later when you have sewer line issues. If you are having trouble with your sewer line it may be as simple as having a clog cleared from the line and getting the flow of waste moving freely through the line again.
Want to know if and where your toilet may be leaking? Just add a few drops of food coloring to the tank on back of the toilet. After the drops have had a few minutes to mix and color the water just flush and look for the colored water. The colored water will show up very well if you have a leak. This little trick works every time to find that leak. Many professional plumbers use this method to locate the exact leak. Give it a try. Remember that a leaking toilet can waste gallons of water in addition the water damage to your floor could be a very expensive repair.
Was your home built on a concrete slab foundation? If so, that means that your water and sewer lines might have been installed under several inches of concrete. Water and sewer lines under concrete are just like a lot of other things, with time they start to deteriorate and began to leak. This is known as a slab leak. The good news is that repairing those lines is not that hard. The bad news is that locating and gaining access to those lines can be a different matter all together. Unfortunately, you cannot ignore a slab leak just because it is under hard concrete.
A clogged drain can be a real problem, but you gotta love them for what they do. They handle all our waste water, bath water, dirty sink water and water we just don't need anymore. They quietly go about their job day after day and we just take them for granted until they start to have a little problem and just keep a little helping hand to get back to doing their day to day tasks. It doesn't make a lot of difference if it's a clogged bathtub drain or a clogged sewer drain you want it fixed. After they start to get a little slow with draining or you start to get an odor from the sewer gases then it is time to deal with that clogged drain or they can turn into a major problem when they back up and drain into your home.
Need a drain cleaner? Try something safe first. A chemical drain cleaner can be dangerous. Certain drain cleaners are made from some very dangerous chemicals like sulfuric acid and harsh lyes. Use a Homemade and Natural Drain Cleaner for Safety If you have small children in your home and just prefer not to have poison type drain cleaners, try this homemade drain cleaner.