Fix it Yourself: Plumbing Tips

Not only is it a hassle to contact a plumber for necessary and sometimes emergency repairs, it is often a financial burden that you might not always save or account for within your monthly budget. Add in the weekend, holiday or night time hours when emergencies occur, and a visit from a plumber can even create monetary hardship for you and your family. Though some visits are necessary, other simpler jobs can sometimes be completed by you and your family members, saving you money and providing a quick fix. Look over the following plumbing tips to get a better idea of the jobs you can tackle on your own without worrying about making problems increasingly worse.

Clogged Drains and Pipes

A clog is often one of the more simple projects homeowners can be somewhat confident taking on. Clogs that prevent water from flowing freely in your pipes and down your drain are usually caused by a few different culprits. If you have a drain with a pop-up mechanism, hair, dirt and grime will get laid up and cause your water to drain slower or stop up completely. Pulling the pop-up piece out of the drain and clearing any hair or debris will usually free up your clogged drain in this case. On the other hand, clogs in the p-trap of your pipe can be removed by unscrewing the connection and freeing anything stopping up the pipe.

Clogged Shower Heads

Just like your drains, the shower heads in your home can become clogged with build up of minerals from the water that flows through them. Despite your suspicions regarding your changing water pressure, a clogged shower head is a quick fix that relieves deposits preventing proper flow. To remove the minerals that have built up on your shower head, fill a bag with vinegar and tie it around your shower head so it can soak.  The acidity of the vinegar will eliminate the buildup without harsh chemicals.

Keep Your Toilet from Running

There is nothing more annoying than the constant sound of a running toilet long after it has been flushed. While it can add dollars to your water bill, eliminating constant running in your toilet is an easy fix you can complete at home by yourself. Normally, the cause of running water in a toilet is from the flapper inside the toilet.  Purchasing a flapper kit to replace the damaged or old flapper will fix your issue in a simple, low cost manner. By turning off your toilet’s water and flushing it to empty the tank, you can replace the old flapper system with ease.

This post was written by Pablo, he has over a decade of experience as a licensed plumber in Houston.  He offers a variety of solutions for all residential and commercial plumbing needs. There is no problem too big or too small for Pablo and his team of professionals.

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3 Responses to “Fix it Yourself: Plumbing Tips”

1. KrisM77 says:

   January 4, 2012 at 4:02 pm

   I’m not much of a handyman but I’ve put the last 2 plumbing tips you have provided to very good use. I’m still at awe with the “soaking the shower head with a bag of vinegar thing.” I mean, that tip right there does great wonders in relieving deposits from the shower head. Don’t get me wrong, it might smell a little, but it sure as hell beats having to poke the holes in the shower head in the hopes of getting rid of the deposits!

   Reply
2. Marnie Sho says:

   January 5, 2012 at 1:23 am

   Hmm.. for me unclogging pipes, bowls, drainage has never been much of a problem. I’m the designated dishwasher in the house and I’m also tasked with cleaning the bathroom from time to time and I use a Hypo-allergenic solution to pour into the clog and voila! The hair, deposit or whatever that’s causing the clog just dissipates and if that doesn’t work, the Muriatic solution(a much stronger solution than the hypo) never fails.

   Reply
3. PattyT12 says:

   January 5, 2012 at 2:51 pm

   I don’t mean to be a sour grape and all but I usually call the family plumber for anything that involves pipes, drainage and clogs. I used to be a proponent of do-it-yourself kinda things but that all changed when I tried to fix a simple pipe leak but tightening the pipe with a wrench. Turns out, I tightened the darn thing way too much and things just went from bad to worse. Needless to say, the whole kitchen looked like a little kid’s indoor pool. O_o

   Reply