Plumbing Tips You Really Need To Know About
When you develop plumbing issues in your home, chances are that you become frustrated. Usually, this is because you do not know how to fix it. Although major plumbing problems require the help of professionals, simple problems can be fixed by you. The following article will give you easy plumbing tips.
If you possess pipes that are alive with the sound of squeaking or hammering, you have an issue that is easily corrected. You simply have to securely fasten any pipes that are exposed. If these pipes on the ceiling, or in the floors or walls, it might be a good idea to hire a professional to help you finish the project.
Do not use the liquid cleaning supplies that are designed to clear clogs. These cleaners are harmful and can damage your pipes as they clear the clog. Instead of using damaging liquids, use a plunger or a plumbing snake. These are much more effective and will not harm pipes.
To avoid wasting water and having a potentially high water bill, check your home for leaky faucets periodically. Fix any leaks that you find right away. You may be able to do the repair yourself, but if not, you may have to seek the services of a plumber to make the repairs.
Taking preemptive action to fix a strange smelling kitchen sink can be a good way to keep your kitchen smelling great. Make sure not to throw hair or grease into your sink. Use baking soda if you have a strange smell coming from your drain. Make sure you use your garbage disposal if you have one to grind up any food and use water while doing this to prevent damage to the blades of the garbage disposal.
Do not place items in the toilets that do not belong there. For example, if you are a female, do not throw away sanitary pads or tampons in your toilet. This could cause severe damage to your toilet that could require a plumber, or even worse, a whole new toilet!
Believe it or not, it is not a very good idea to use a plunger if your toilet is clogged. Plungers just push whatever is stuck deeper into the drain. Instead, it is a better idea to use a closet auger. It will do a better job and is affordable.
Find out the plumbing codes in your local area before starting any project. Plumbing codes can vary wildly from area to area and you don't want to run afoul of the codes. Visit your local building department to find out information or hire a plumber for a day to help you go over your plans and provide advice.
When you wash your hands, be sure that you have not left any soap on the faucet handles. What people do not know is that leaving soap on these fixtures can cause fixtures to corrode. Just take two seconds after you are done washing your hands to remove excess soap from the handles.
Never pour grease down the kitchen-sink drain. This will help you avoid clogs in your kitchen sink. Place grease in a can or other receptacles and dispose of in the trash. Grease that has congealed on pots, and pans can be wiped off with paper towels that can be thrown in the trash.
Make sure that any exposed pipes in your home are insulated, especially those found in crawl spaces on the outside walls of your home. This will help keep them from freezing and causing you tons of problems. Frozen pipes can often be devastating and leave you with problems that are expensive to fix and no water in the middle of winter.
Water heaters often have a pipe that reaches from the drain pipe and this must be reconnected during installation of a new unit. It's probably a recirculation pipe, and here that can help your water remain heated without wasting water.
To prevent pipe banging when you turn on the water, think about rubber blankets or straps. Instead of assuming the pipes need replaced, consider anchoring them or buffering them. If your pipes are plastic, leave them some room for expansion and contraction. If pipes do not leak but just make noise, eliminate the noise.
Always keep a trash bin in the bathroom so that you can dispose of cotton swabs, facial pads, and hair. Do not put these materials in the toilet as they can cause clogs over time and disrupt your water flow. These items will not dissolve or break down when submerged in water.
Keep an eye on the grout between tiles in your bathroom. Watch for cracks and areas where the grout seems to be falling out, and repair them immediately. Small grout crack issues can be easily repaired by pulling out the bad and putting in new grout. Allow any new grout to dry completely before exposing it to water.
If your lawn has areas where the grass grows very quickly compared to the rest, seems constantly wet or has a noxious odor you may have a sewer line leak. A leak or crack in sewage pipes can be repaired if caught early and save thousands of dollars in failed septic inspection expenses.
When it comes to plumbing, there is never an unsolvable problem. If you feel yourself becoming frustrated with the project, you should try to take a break from what you are working on. The greatest mistakes start to happen when you become angry and inpatient, so take a break and walk outside.
To help you save money with plumbing, you should perform regular preventative maintenance. Without performing preventative maintenance, your drains will eventually get clogged and you will have to call a plumber. Calling a plumber can be expensive, so in order to avoid these costly repairs, make sure you do regular preventative maintenance.
Copper piping tends to slightly expand when hot water is run through it. This expansion causes the pipes to become misaligned with the pipe hanger. This can damage the pipes over time. Taping around the pipe where it meets the hanger can prevent this problem.
As you can see, many plumbing problems are very easy to solve on your own if you have the proper knowledge. Don't let a professional plumbing service charge you a hand full for something that you can do on your own! Try the tips in this article next time and see the money you save!
Meet Bernard the Roughneck, Canada's Joe the Plumber
Canada may have found its very own Joe the Plumber in Bernard Hancock, aka Bernard the Roughneck, a 32-year-old oil-rig worker who made waves when he showed up to the House of Commons dressed in greasy coveralls and a red hard hat.
Like the American Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, who rose to fame as a right-wing everyman during the 2008 US presidential election, Hancock has become the public face of the Alberta oil industry and its employees.
His face and his trademark mop of curly hair are plastered on T-shirts and mugs.
Last week, he appeared on Parliament Hill in his oil-rig getup to support a petition asking the federal government to do more to help Canada's struggling oil and gas industry.
"Families are being destroyed," he said.
The petition, which had 35,000 signatures, was tabled by Alberta Conservative MP Shannon Stubbs and organised by the Canadian Association of Oilwell Drilling Contractors (CAODC), a pro-oil advocacy group.
Canada’s climate change dilemma
Like many, Mr Hancock was lured out to Alberta with the promise of relatively high wages for relatively low-skilled work. Canada exports CA$220bn (USD$168bn; £129bn) in natural resources a year, mostly to the United States, and the sector accounts for 17% of its GDP, according to 2015 data provided by Natural Resources Canada.
In Alberta, the third-largest oil producer in the world, the oil and gas industry employed approximately 155,000 people in 2015, about 11% fewer than in 2014, according to the Alberta government.
The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers says that since 2015, the industry lost 40,000 direct jobs - 100,000 when one includes indirect jobs.
Industry advocates blame the downturn on the low price of oil, the cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline project in 2015, and the federal Liberal government's proposal to introduce a carbon tax.
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