10 Plumbing Tips for men and women.

At some point every homeowner has to deal with a dripping faucet, low water pressure, or clogged pipes. This will most likely prompt them to call a professional plumber, and with good reason. Most homeowners usually don’t have the necessary skills for a DIY plumbing job and that can turn a simple plumbing problem into a major catastrophe that could have been avoided by calling int he experts such as Ant Projects.

Here are 10 tips if you want to deal with the situation yourself:

Know the location of the shut-off valves.

Before you move into a new home, note the location of the shut-off valves. You must get acquainted with the sewer line access points; in case you need to conduct periodic clean outs. Townhouses and flats may not have their own shut-off valves. Our advice before moving into a new home: take note of the location of the main shut-off valve and drain. In some cases, you will find that the shut-off valves are located outside the house.

Never puncture pipes!

This is especially true if you are planning to drill holes or pound nails into the walls, ceilings or floors. It is quite easy to accidently puncture the pipes. Pipes can also be located behind walls with the use of an inexpensive stud finder. You can also investigate the situation with the help of an endoscopic camera, which can easily be snaked into the walls.

Find out what is flushable and what is not.

Toilets shouldn’t be used as a trash can since the flushing of anything except toilet paper can lead to nasty clogs.

Never throw garbage down the drain.

The dumping of food debris, coffee grounds, vegetable peelings, bacon grease, or starchy foods like potatoes and rice down the kitchen drain will almost certainly clog the pipes.

Take the Plunge.

It is a good idea to invest in a good quality plunger to clear the clogs in toilets, sinks, and drains. By using a plunger, you can push most of the water out before removing the trap. Doing it this way will be a lot less wet and messy.

Don’t ignore any leaks.

That annoying drip-drip means that money is going down the drain. A leaky faucet can waste up to thirty litres of water per day. Fix any small leaks immediately before they become a big and costly problem.

Never over-tighten the fittings.

A common DIY plumbing mistake that we encounter at Ant Projects is over-tightening of fittings and connections. This leads to stripped screws and broken bolts. The golden rule here is to only hand tighten it.

Plumber’s tape is your best friend.

Plumber’s tape (also known as Teflon tape) is used to seal pipe threads. Do this to prevent leaks around joints and fittings. You should typically wrap plumber’s tape three times around pipe threads before sealing it. Also note that white tape is designed for common household plumbing projects, and yellow tape is for gas line connections.

Always check for any leaks.

After every plumbing project you have done, check for leaks. Do this by running water through the system and then opening and closing all the valves and drains. Even a professional plumber can miss a small leak and need to reseal the connection.