Maintaining and repairing your own plumbing is an essential part of home improvement, but understanding it and buying the right equipment can be tricky. There are lots of things to consider for your particular plumbing job. Here are some steps you can take to ensure you get started with your own plumbing jobs.

Before starting any plumbing project be sure to turn off the main water supply. Water damage can be one of the most expensive things to repair. To minimize damage turn the main water supply off as well as any shut off valves near where you are working. This will save a great deal of hardship later on.

Avoiding frozen pies is easy if you ensure no area of your house ever falls below freezing and that any pipes which are exposed to such temperatures are protected with insulation. Obviously, frozen pipes occur due to freezing environmental conditions. The best case scenario is that you can heat the pipes and the water will start flowing again. The worst case scenario is a busted pipe and a costly repair.

To help you find a good plumber, you should get recommendations from people whom you trust. Asking a friend or a neighbor is usually more trustworthy than picking a random plumber out of the phone book. You need a competent plumber, otherwise you could be in for a much bigger problem down the road.

Routinely check your appliance connections and faucets around the house for any kind of obvious leaks or nearby signs of moisture. Not only do even the smallest leaks lead to a large waste of water and money, they also can lead to damage to your home or even the development of harmful molds.

Keep the drains in your bathtub working properly by pouring a cup’s worth of baking soda and than a cup’s worth of vinegar directly down your drain every month. Put a rag over the drain afterward, though, to keep the chemicals from coming back up after the reaction. After a few minutes,just flush the drain out with water that has reached a boiling point. Although this is useful for clearing away simple clogs made of hair and soap debris, it will not work for serious blockages.

Regularly check your overflow holes to make sure they’re not clogged. If your sink starts to overflow, the water will run into the overflow holes, this might not be a huge issue, unless they are clogged. Make cleaning debris from the overflow holes part of your regular routine of maintaining your plumbing and checking it for problems and required repairs.

If the hose that leads to your kitchen sink has not been maintained or installed properly, you may notice that water is constantly draining to the dishwasher. The hose connecting the sink the the dishwasher should be at an uphill angle and then downhill to prevent the water from mixing.

Try to limit the amount of hair that goes down your drains. Hair can become tangled up in the pipe and end up blocking up the them, preventing water from flowing smoothly. Buy a cheap screened drain cover to put over your drain to stop any hair from going down and clean it off regularly.

Be careful with putting household cleaners in your toilet. They can cause the toilet to malfunction. The debris that these cleaners leave can sit in your toilet’s pipes and harden, making them almost impossible to get rid of. If it does harden, it usually requires the help of a professional.

If the hot water heater in your house is over ten years old, you should look at replacing it. Hot water heaters are very susceptible to corrosion on the bottom. This can lead to leaking and flooding whatever room it is in. Then not only will you have to replace it, but you’ll have to fix any damage caused by the leak.

You need to make sure outside faucets are covered and not dripping as winter approaches. If leaks are detected, it is important to repair them before the temperature drops below freezing. Whatever material your pipes are built from, very cold water pressure can make pipes crack. Even a tiny crack can leak enough water to flood your home.

Do a routine check around your house each month on each and every faucet to make sure there are no signs of leaks or drips. Over time, leaks can add a lot of money to your water bill and will worsen if you do not take care of the problem.

As you read, plumbing can be an incredibly important aspect to your current and future home improvement and so is understanding all the different techniques and equipment. This is so it makes it easier for you to understand what you need for your plumbing jobs. Following the tips in this article is a very good starting place.