9 Home Plumbing Tips

When it comes to home plumbing repairs, there are many things most of us are unaware of.

Sometimes, small tips can contribute to big changes that will save us money, time and help us avoid creating major issues ourselves.

Below are some basic, home plumbing tips every homeowner should know.

1. Know where the main water shut-off valve is

Regardless of what issues you may have, you will always need to turn off the water main first, even if you are calling the plumber and not doing the fixtures on your own.

The water main is the main supply line of water to your home, and when it is off, you won’t get any water to your home..

2. You’ll also need to locate individual shut-off valves

Knowing where the individual valves are for shutting off your home’s sinks, toilets, etc. helps for smaller plumbing repairs.

Don’t hide them with furniture or plants or other decorations as this will make it harder for you to locate and shut them off during emergencies.

Additionally, you need to know where you can turn off your hot water heater as well, regardless of what type it is.

3. A picture is worth $1000

If you are remodeling your home, take a picture of your inner walls, floors, and ceilings beforehand.

This way you will always know where the framing, electrical and plumbing lines are and can avoid breaking them during your next plumbing repairs or drilling holes.

4. Not everything is flushable

Do not put anything other than waste into your toilet to prevent creating nasty and expensive clogs.

Same goes for the kitchen sink, don’t dispose any food debris into it if you want to avoid clogging the pipes.

5. Make friends with your plunger

Every household needs to invest in a standard and/or premium-grade plunger for clogs of almost any type.

They are inexpensive and can be found in almost an local hardware or retail store.

6. Don’t ignore water leaks regardless of size

If the water leak is small, you can try to fix it yourself, but if it is bigger or if it is a broken pipe, then you’ll want to cut the water off from the water main imediately and call a local plumbing company right away.

7. Find a crack in our pipe?

If you have a crack in your home’s plumbing, shut the water off first, then use duct tape or pipe sealing tape to pull it together temporarily to minimize the water leak.

Then it’s time to call your local plumber so they can troubleshoot the issue in case there is a larger leak somewhere else.

8. Too-tight can be a bad thing

When you are turning off your sink, make sure that you don’t close them too tightly.

This can cause the seal to wear out faster, creating frequent small leaks pretty quickly.

9. Received a high water bill lately?

If you get a high water bill and you are sure it’s not from regular use, shut off all fixtures (even your hot water tank) and check your water meter to see if it keeps moving.

If it does, check if any visible pipes (from sinks for example) are leaking.

To make sure it is not the toilet, add a couple of drops from food coloring in your toilet tank and let it sit for few hours.

If there is colored water in the toilet bowl, you have a toilet leak.

If not, you may need to call a residential plumbing contractor to see whether there may be any hidden leaks responsible for your increased bill.