Plumbing Info for Home Owners

Having to deal with a problem with the
plumbing first thing in the morning is never a good thing. However, there are certain steps you can take to keep the fuss to a minimum. Here is a little plumbing information for home owners that could be useful.

Before anything else, it is important to learn where everything is; your water meter and your shut off valves most certainly. Should you have a failure, it's important to turn these off right away. Also make sure you have the right tools for the job.

Having the right tools to do the job is also important; so ensure you have quick and easy access to relevant tools. Ensure you have a wrench, screwdrivers and any curb keys needed. Put them somewhere safe; remembering where they are!

Research online; or head to a course somewhere to learn a few basic skills for maintenance; disassembling a faucet, replacing a washer, removing sink traps and the like. Most problems can be readily fixed in under five minutes; so no need to pay expensive call out charges.

Regular monitoring of the water pressure to your home will also be a good step to take. A pressure of around 80psi is what you are looking for; anything above this should be checked out to head off any possible leaks or breakages.

Maintaining and looking after the plumbing system responsibly will also help a great deal. Commonly, blockages are caused by fat deposits in the pipes, or masses of hair and other nasty stuff. Discard anything likely to get caught up in the regular trash.

Even drains that are maintained correctly could develop a clogs; from hair, soap scum and a host of other things. As such, stocking up on drain cleaning chemicals will prove useful, and always make for a good first line of attack.

Having learned the basic skills, it is well worth having a check of your complete system two or three times through the year. This will most likely keep your system running problem free; but will also highlight any small leaks.

Another good indicator of problems is a sudden and substantial increase in your water bill; so this should be checked regularly. Turning water supply off to the home if you are heading away for anything more than a day or two is also good; particularly during the cold spells.

There is a wealth of plumbing information for home owners online, and through other avenues, for particular problems you may face. Having covered the basics to alleviate any emergencies; it could well be worth familiarizing yourself with these lessons which could prove fruitful.