Moving in to a new home can be exciting and overwhelming while at the same time can be challenging, especially for first time homeowners. Being in charge of your new home means you have to take care of every little thing to make it look beautiful and a safe haven for your family; from housekeeping to plumbing, you need to take care of everything. In case you have a plumbing problem, you can call a plumber, but just in case you feel like working out a bit yourself, you can try DIY.
As a first time homeowner, you can come across minor plumbing problems that you can handle yourself. Here are 5 DIY plumbing tips for first time homeowners:
- Use a bucket of water to flush the toilet. When your flush gives you trouble, don’t worry. You don’t really need to run around the neighborhood to use a toilet in case your toilet flush is out of order. All you need to do is fill up half a bucket of water and dump it down the toilet bowl. This will flush away and clean the toilet. However, this won’t refill the toilet with water.
- Use a plunger to unclog drains. Make sure to use strainers to keep away soap, debris and hair from going into the drains. These elements can clog the drains and give you trouble. In case you get a blocked drain, use a plunger to suck out all the water and particles. To unclog a sink, use a plunger. You can also open up the sink from the bottom, to let out the water and particles that block the drain. Make sure to keep a bucket under the sink so the water drops out into the bucket and not the bathroom floor.
- Keep a set of hex keys with you. Hex/Allen keys are essential for DIY plumbing purposes. These are very useful to tighten small nuts and bolts. These keys come in different shapes; square, hexagon and sizes; small, medium, large to cater to different needs. These keys do not only come handy for plumbing needs, but also for other various purposes.
- Know how and where to shut of the main gas/water valve. When you face a gas or water leak, you should know the location of the main switch to turn off the water flow into the pipes, and the same for gas leaks; know where to turn off the gas valve from. This helps when you have a water or gas leak in the pipes. In case the pipe is rotten, you will need to change it. You can either DIY or get professional help too.
- Always keep a plumbing kit handy. Last, but not the least, always keep a plumbing kit at an arm’s distance since you can need it anytime. A plumbing kit should include a plunger to unclog drains, duct tape to put around stubborn leaks, heavy duty paper rolls to clear leaks and dirt off the floor, and a screw driver for multiple plumbing purposes.
Plumbing may not be an easy job, but with DIY tips widely available you can fix your plumbing problems yourself. It’s always good to check and solve the problem when it’s minor; you don’t want the problem to grow out of hands. In case you feel that you cannot DIY anymore, you can seek help from a professional.
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