Home Plumbing Tips – Simple Rules For Home Plumbing Safety

Plumbing is a skill that is learned through instruction, on–the–job training, and experience. All too often, the home handyman makes crucial mistakes because he is not familiar with the proper tools, compounds, and pipes needed for the job. Every plumbing system will eventually develop clogs and a lot of time and money can be saved on a plumbing job if you follow a few simple home plumbing tips. You can learn to fix plumbing problems yourself if you have the right tools, know the proper techniques, and are prepared to do it. The tools aren’t expensive and some of the more specialized ones can be usually be rented. However, if you can’t get rid of that clog after a few attempts, it’s best to call a Calgary plumber.

Plumbing Product Tips

These days, the market is loaded with new products for just about every plumbing need that work well with every type of pipe. There are connectors that reduce the chances of leaks and eliminate the need for high–temperature propane torches, removing the difficulties of soldering.

The types of pipe most commonly used today are rigid copper, flexible copper, black iron pipe, rigid plastic PVC, CPVC pipe, ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene), PEX (Crosslink Polyethylene), kitec, polybutylene, CSST for gas, and galvanized steel. When you decide to tackle a plumbing problem at home, you will need to know and follow a few home plumbing tips and rules to make sure the job is done properly the first time. For safety’s sake, you will have to use precautions when using a propane torch and solder. You will also want a good pair of safety glasses or goggles and you will need to wear protective clothing.

In most homes, rigid copper piping is used for the main water lines. Since you cannot twist rigid copper, you need to solder the joints and tees together. To do this, you will need to apply a soldering paste to the surfaces to retard oxidation that will occur with the copper is heated. The best thing to use here is a modified anaerobic acrylic polymer in liquid form because of its ability to be applied into tight spaces where the heat from the soldering torch can cause a fire hazard.

Common Plumbing Tools

When a toilet or a sink backs up, the first thing you should reach for is a plunger. If that doesn’t work, try a plumbing snake, which is a long, flexible steel cable that is wound on a spool with a hand crank. For toilets, a closet auger might be more useful than a snake because it is specifically built with toilet clogs in mind, with a rigid shaft bent at the correct angles to go through a toilet trap. Should you notice a small drip from the waterline, you can take a slice of white bread, remove the crust, and roll it into a tightly packed ball. Once you insert it into the pipe, the drip will stop. Once the drip has stopped, simply turn on the water and it can be washed away and into the drainage system.

The most common plumbing problem is that the pipe cleaner was not used when PVC pipes were connected. This means that you will have to clean the connections with the proper cleaner or the proper glue for the type of pipe you are using. If your bathtub starts running slower, you will often get the best results by using a bent piece of coat hanger to takeout any hair and other debris that may be slowing or stopping the drain.

The most used plumbing tools are sink augers, toilet or closet augers, flange plungers (toilet plunger), cup plungers (sink and tub plunger), Teflon tape, adjustable pipe wrenches, faucet valve seat wrenches, faucet valve reseating tools, faucet Packing, and pashers and tubing cutter.

Hopefully, these simple home plumbing tips will help you when an unfortunate plumbing disaster strikes. If you need additional plumbing help, call our professional local Calgary plumbers at any time.