Plumbing Does Not Have To Be Hard, Here is Some Advice That Will Make It Seem Easy.

If plumbing is something that you find difficult or intimidating, you are not alone. Many people cant solve their own plumbing problems, which means that plumbers can charge a lot of money for even simple and quick repairs. Dont let this happen to you, read on to learn how to solve your own plumbing problems!

Rigid copper is used for main water lines in many homes. You cannot bend rigid copper, so joints and tees must be soldered on. When soldering, always apply flux (also called soldering paste) to both surfaces. Flux retards oxidation when the copper is heated. Always use lead-free or nearly lead-free solder when sweating a copper joint.

You always want to solder correctly, the biggest mistake most people make when soldering is failing to get the interior of the fitting and the exterior of the pipe clean and shiny. Polish these surfaces with a fine emery clot until bright. When soldering, never heat the pipe, but instead heat the fitting. Doing so allows the solder to be drawn into the fitting by capillary action.

Act quickly if your pipes freeze! Shut off the water and open the faucet, enabling it to drain when it thaws. Starting with the faucet, and working your way to the iced-up area, aim a propane torch or hairdryer at the pipe - this will quickly defrost it. You could also wrap the pipe in a heating pad or aim a heat lamp at it, but this will take quite some time. A last resort is to wrap the pipe in rags and pour boiling water over it.

Make sure the job gets done by not paying your plumber until you are satisfied, and the work is completed. You might have to put money down initially before the plumber begins the job. However, do not pay everything up front; instead, only pay once the job is successfully completed. It will make you feel better knowing that your problem has been solved before parting with a large sum of money.

Check your gas water heater periodically to make sure the pilot flame is lit. The correct color for this flame should be blue. The tip of the flame should be yellow. If you find that you are only seeing a yellow flame, you may need to call a professional for safety reasons.

To keep things flowing smoothly through the drain of your bathtub, each month you should feed it baking soda, one cups worth, with a cup of vinegar to chase it. Cover it with a plug or rag, since a chemical reaction should happen in the pipes. After giving the mixture time to work, flush it out by running boiling water through the drain. This process should open up the pipes by clearing out hair build-up and soap scum.

Have your pipes in your plumbing system frozen? You can skip the cost of hiring a plumber by using this method. First, open the faucet so steam produced by the thawing process can escape. Begin thawing close to the faucet, and move down the line as each section thaws out. Use a hair dryer or a heat lamp to warm along the pipe. Even though this method consumes quite a bit of time, it is safer than most other heating methods. Furthermore, it requires no cleanup.

Exercise

If you have chrome or ceramic plumbing fixtures, be very careful when making any types of repairs. These types of finishes are very easily scratched, and they are expensive to get fixed. Be careful and exercise caution when dealing with these finishes. Consider if it may be better to hire a professional.

As you can see, many plumbing problems are very easy to solve on your own if you have the proper knowledge. Dont 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!