Basic plumbing is an important skill if you are a homeowner.

What Basic Plumbing Skills Should I Have?

While plumbing is a service best left to qualified and experienced professionals, there are some necessary skills that every property owner should know.

If you are handy and enjoy doing DIY projects around the house, you may already possess some basic plumbing skills. However, for those who are not, they may be in a more difficult position.

Sure, there are local plumbers you can rely on, but having the basic plumbing knowledge up your sleeve could save you time and money. Aside from those things saved, knowing these simple solutions could help in plumbing emergencies until you can get a professional out to fix the issue.

In today’s post, we’ll share some simple tips and solutions to remedy common plumbing issues.

Know What and Where a Stop Tap Is

When you have a water leak, you need to turn the water off with the stop tap immediately. If you find that it’s a slow water leak, you have a little more time to look for the stop tap and shut the water off. However, if it’s a major leak, you’re looking at possible flooding and water damage.

Therefore, it’s important to know where this vital plumbing component is before any leak happens. For most homes, the stop tap is the area where the water supply comes into your house, most often underneath the sink.

When you locate the stop tap, make sure that it’s easy for you to reach and turn it off. Remove all obstructions so that you can access the stop tap right away. If or when you just moved to a new home, find where the stop tap is and know how to turn it off.

Know What a Condensate Pipe Is

This is the pipe that goes to the outside of your home – ejecting any moisture or water from the boiler. During the colder months, it condensate pipe could quickly freeze up. When it does, the boiler can get shut down.

Clogged sinks are a common plumbing issue.

And obviously, it’s during the colder season that you need your hot water to function the most. If the boiler shuts down during the colder months, check the condensate pipe first.

If it’s frozen, thaw it out with hot water, heat pads, or hot water bottle. Don’t ever pour boiling water on it, though.

When it’s thawed out, you can restart the boiler. Most people will call a plumber, thinking that their furnace is broken. It just may be a frozen condensate pipe that can easily be fixed.

Clogged Drains

If water is not draining correctly from your baths, showers, or sinks, ignoring it is not going to do you any good.

A clogged drain is not going to resolve itself. However, if you know what to do, you may be able to correct the issue yourself before hiring the services of a plumber.

The most common issue for a clogged drain is a blockage in a part of the plumbing system. Whether it’s food debris, hair, soap buildup, or other waste, there are some remedies to unclog the drain.

You can use a combination of baking soda and vinegar solution and pour it down the drain. If the pipes are accessible, try to unscrew them and clean out any wastes or debris.

If the baking soda and vinegar solution and cleaning the pipes don’t do anything, then the blockage may be originating from further down the plumbing system. This scenario is when you can call a plumber to do the inspection and repair.

Sinks and Toilet

You would think that everyone would know what goes down the sink or toilet and what shouldn’t. However, these simple guidelines are still not followed all the time, leading to clogged drains and pipes or malfunctioning plumbing system.

A basic plumbing skill is unclogging the toilet.

Fats and oils that can solidify must not go down the drain.

Wet wipes are – unless clearly specified in the label that they are flushable – must not go down the toilet.

Women’s sanitary products are not flushable. Common human waste and toilet paper are the only items that should go down the toilet.

Emergency Plumbing Situations

Another basic plumbing knowledge that is often overlooked is knowing when to call an emergency plumber. This could mean the difference between lesser repair costs and even saving your property and life. Reacting promptly in an emergency plumbing situation is crucial.