You reached home after a day’s work and see a leak in the pipes in your home. You shut down the water quickly but still unable to control the situation. A professional plumber is at once needed to detect and repair such emergency situations. As a homeowner, you just cannot ignore that some time or other such plumbing issues can crop up anytime. Getting hold of professional plumbers to take up a lot of time and hence this is where your own knowledge about plumbing can save you.
The basics of plumbing must be learned so conveniently you can play the plumber’s role in such situations.
How will basic plumbing know how help you?
Some plumbing jobs are such that you can do it all by yourself and there is no need to get a professional plumber. If you know how to do some basic plumbing tasks it is going to benefit you in the following manner:
- Make good decisions on your own.
- Be efficient at controlling unwanted events.
- Avoid disastrous situations all by yourself.
- Make improvements or upgrades to your plumbing.
- Be knowledgeable about the house plumbing system and the different parts to it.
Basic things DIY plumbers must know
A list of things is given below which do it yourself styled plumbers must be used as a guide.
What is the source of water?
The running water in a house or office either comes from a public supplier like the city or from a well that is on some private property. The knowledge about water sources is the first thing you must know.
How to cut off the water supply?
Whenever there is a plumbing crisis, the first action a professional plumber does is to shut-off the valve and turn it off. Usually, the shutoff valve can be explored near the ground floor utility areas of a home, like a closet or a cellar or a garage.
Knowledge about water pressure:
A water pressure gauge can be used to test the pressure of the water. You can adjust the pressure yourself as per your requirement.
Understanding the real implications of small leaks:
A dripping faucet might apparently seem like a small problem but it can actually add to your water bill if it is left unattended. Use some kind of plumbers seal to fix this kind of problem.
What are the tools that plumbers use?
It is a good idea to invest in the right tools if you want to undertake most of the plumber’s task all by yourself at home. Following is a list of common tools used by professional plumbers:
Wrench: A wrench will make it easy for you to reach any joints that are otherwise difficult to reach.
Plumber’s Tape: This is a great fix for all those leaky spots.
Plumber’s Putty: This is similar to the plumber’s tape and allows you to close joints with a seal that is resistant to water.
Locking Pliers: This is also known as an adjustable wrench and you can use it to change a showerhead or tap.
Needle-Nosed Pliers: When you want to catch hold of a very small part, then the needle nosed pliers can be really helpful.
Caulk Gun with Caulk: This is another way of creating a watertight seal, very commonly used in kitchen sinks, tiles, or repairing any seams in the washrooms.
An emergency plumbing situation can occur anytime to anyone. While you master your plumbing skills do make sure to keep the information of neighborhood plumbers nearby. If matters go out of hand they should be handy to come to your aid.