We all know how frustrating these plumbing issues are. They can ruin your entire weekend if they are severe. Moreover, the cost of a plumber is not something you want to deal with every week. Even those people who handle plumbing issues themselves, also give up sometimes. One way to avoid these problems is to use good quality pipes and components like black pipe fittings and nipples, high-quality sealants, anti-corrosion material, etc. and the other way is to use some smart tricks to deal with common issues in your bathroom, kitchen, and toilet. However, these problems can occur also in other areas of your home but most of the time only these few areas get affected.
We have brought some easy and practical ways for you, which can make your life easy and you can get rid of consistent problems related to plumbing in your home.
It is the easiest way to flush that grease of food in your utensils but it has long-term damage to your drain. How? Since grease can turn into fat and once you do it too often, it will start clogging your drain. You will realize it once it is already so late. But it is better to stop doing that and have a better option for this solution.
Use paper to wipe that grease from your utensils. What will it do? It will save your drain from clogging as well as you will not have to use too much dish cleaner against that sticky content. All you need to do is wipe all that grease from your bowls, plates, and every utensil you have used for that tasty dish but also highly greasy. Once you wipe them with paper, throw that paper in the dustbin and that’s how you will save your drain from clogging. Moreover, your drain will not stink, which happens because of fat stuck in your drain. Besides, you will not have to use highly concentrated chemicals to clear that clogged fat in it.
It is the most irritating thing when you find your drain with a bunch of hair in it. It gets worse when you can’t take them out since they are stuck in it. Many people shed hair while washing their heads and it is common for all of us. However, there must be a way to deal with this issue. Of course, you can’t keep an eye on the drain while taking a bath and stop every hair from getting stuck into it. But there is a simple way to deal with this problem and that is none other than a drain strainer.
A drain strainer will help you avoid having hair stuck in it. With the help of this simple tool, you will get rid of this stressful problem. All you need to do is install a drain strainer and it will collect all your hair in it, which you can remove quite easily after you wash your hair. Moreover, you can use it in your sink at the time of washing vegetables and other items, which causes clogging in the drain.
You would be using those powerful drain cleaning chemicals all the years but have you ever thought about their side effects? They can clear out your drain within a few minutes but they have long-term damage to your pipelines. These concentrated chemicals can slowly weaken your pipeline and it will end up having holes and similar damages. This will lead to multiple cost additions and you will have to call a plumber more often. But there is a simple and better solution for that.
Baking soda and vinegar make a great combination whenever you need to deal with grease, foul smell, and other similar issues. What you need to do is just use a cup of baking soda, a cup of vinegar, and some boiling water. Now pour some hot water into the drain, then pour a cup of baking soda into it. After that, pour a cup of vinegar into it. Now leave it for 10 or 15 minutes. After that, pour boiling water again to clear that out and you will get a much better drain than before. In addition, it will also clear out clogged hair in your drain.
No one likes dripping pipes and the best way to get rid of this problem is to use thread tape. You would be guessing about thread sealant, right? Well, thread tape is better in that case because you never know when you have to reopen that pipe again. A thread sealant will seal it permanently, which will be a solution but also a problem later.
A PTFE seal tape or a Teflon tape will be a better option. It will enable you to reopen that pipe if you get any problem related to clogging or low pressure. Since plumbing is a field, where you can have problems at any time, and if you have used any chemical or sealant permanently, you may have some challenges in it.
Similarly, when it comes to PTFE seal tape, you must be aware of its types. Many of us use only white-color tape in all types of pipes. However, the case here is different. It has around four to six different colors and each color signifies a different condition. For instance, there are three common
• Yellow is for gas pipeline
• Grey is for stainless steel pipeline
• Pink is for water lines
• Green is for oxygen-supply pipelines
• White is for general use
That’s why many people use white-color tape but there are better options if you are specifically looking for precise results. For water lines, you need to use pink Teflon tape for better results.
Tried everything and still can’t open that jammed pipe? It is common because of corrosion and chemical reactions inside pipes. It happens when you have to reopen those water pipes after a long time and they don’t cooperate with you. It is really frustrating as well as it can become injurious if you slip out that pipe wrench.
All you can do is give a little heat to that blocked pipe and it will start cooperating with you. You can either use a lighter or a flaming machine on that specific area and it will start loosening. After that, use your power and drive that pipe with your wrench.
You would be wondering which one would be better in terms of sealing a pipe, a silicone tube, or a putty. Most of the plumbers prefer putty, which is somehow a good option as per their experience. But some people have experienced a few issues with using putty. Those problems are related to cracks, which form after some years. It happens because of some rare reasons but if you use silicon, that can be a better option. Silicone has not just better water resistance but also it has flexibility, which prevents it from weather challenges. Hence, silicon will be a better partner for you in most cases.
These tips will definitely help you to deal with plumbing issues and they will save you money too. It will be a combo for you.