Doing simple repairs and upgrades to your plumbing is a fun way to learn a new skill while at the same time piling up on savings that you would otherwise have to use to pay a professional.
Here are 6 simple tips and tricks to keep in mind to fix common plumbing problems:
Noisy Pipes
Hot water causes copper pipes to expand and grind against the holders and hangers around it. Just get your hands on adhesive-backed felt and cut it into thin strips and simply remove each of the hangers, wrap the pipe around the section attached to them and refasten them one by one. Make sure that the layer of felt provides a firm grip without being too tight around the sections in contact with the hangers.
Deaden your sink
It’s common to hear a loud gong sound due to steel sink basins colliding. Applying an expanding foam between them is an easy fix to deaden the sound. Once the foam sets, cut out the excess with a knife.
Remove hard objects from the drainage
If any large hard objects get stuck into the train, a plunger may only push them deeper. In this case, reach for the wet/dry vacuum cleaner, and suck out the water along with the object from the drain. Using a drain cleaner is not advisable in this scenario, as it may corrode the object and release dangerous fumes.
Find pipes under your flooring
When trying to find pipes under the flooring, attach a strong magnet to a long fish string and insert it into the pipe. Next, use an ordinary compass to find a strong magnet under the flooring.
Flush using a bucket
In case you have an ongoing repair or malfunction with your flush tank, or if you are shutting off the water supply for a plumbing project, fill a few buckets of water to flush the bowl when needed. One bucket per flush will do the trick.
Use a plunger before removing a sink trap
Using a plunger will push water out of the trap, making it adhere to only the debris that you want to get rid of when removing the sink trap. In case the strainer isn’t screwed down, you might have to hold it down while you use the plunger.