Avoid Plumbing Disasters without Picking up a Wrench

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Working on your own house can be a wonderful experience, and die-hard do-it-yourselfers of all shapes and sizes have been known to tackle projects of every possible magnitude (sometimes leading to great results). On the other hand, there are plenty of homeowners out there who would sooner tame their own tiger or make their own penicillin than fix, alter, or in any way attend to their own plumbing. Even if you can get hold of a guide that tells you exactly what to do in terms that are easy to understand (good luck with that, by the way), after a busy work week, it can be a little difficult to get jazzed about snaking your toilet. Fortunately, there are several things you can do to avoid some serious plumbing problems that take very little effort and donýt require you to know the difference between an O-ring and a C-clamp!

Avoiding Clogs

• Clogs happen when one large thing or multiple small things get caught in a pipe. Though some clogs are caused by issues that you have little control over, most of them are caused by putting something in a drain that simply doesnýt belong there. By preventing clogs, you are eliminating a huge percent of the total number of plumbing issues your home will have. To avoid clogs:
• Never flush anything down a toilet other than bodily waste and toilet paper (even if said item claims to be flushable). Donýt forget to make sure that children are well aware of what can and cannot be flushed, too!
• The garbage disposal in your sink is far from a garbage can; never put anything fibrous, greasy, or non-biodegradable down your garbage disposal and always keep the water on while it is in use as well as for 15 seconds before and after it is operated.
• Make sure that shower drains are fitted with some sort of grate to catch hair.
• Use a product to prevent root growth in your pipes twice a year (especially if you have had roots in your pipes before).

Dealing with Leaks, Burst Pipes, Strange Noises, Water Pressure, and Hot Water Issues
Clogs are certainly a common problem, but they are far from the only thing that can go wrong with your plumbing. Fixing a leaky pipe, identifying a strange noise in your system, or enhancing your water pressure are jobs that some handy homeowners are more than willing to take on. Lucky for the rest of us, thereýs a simple solution to nearly every plumbing problem that can ever arise: call a plumber!

Find a Plumber You Like
Though this might take a little time, when problems occur youýll be glad you put in the effort. Having a good plumber is very much like having a mechanic you can trust. Sure, it might take a few tries before you find one you communicate well with, but once youýve got one, he or she is worth holding onto. Donýt be shy about contacting several different plumbers, and donýt stop till you find one that you like. Having a plumber you trust takes the guess work out of any problem that can occur in your system; when you already know who to call, every problem has an efficient solution!