Calling the pros for every plumbing issue in your home is time-consuming and costly. Now, don’t get us wrong: We love helping our Salt Lake City plumbing customers with problems big and small! But if you’re feeling empowered to DIY your simple plumbing issues, we’re here to help you do that, too.
From regular maintenance to clogs to leaks, we’ve compiled 10 awesome plumbing hacks that will help you save money and headaches in the long run.
Hack #1: La válvula de cierre de emergencia
Let’s say you have an overflowing toilet that just won’t stop or a busted pipe in your basement. Your first step is to shut off the water at the source! Knowing where your emergency shut-off valve is can save you some costly clean-up, water damage, and mold issues.
Hack #2: Eliminación de basura 101
Saber cómo usar su triturador de basura correctamente lo ayuda a evitar reparaciones y bloqueos. Hay varias cosas que debes nunca deja tu disposición:
- Alimentos fibrosos, como apio, espárragos o brotes
- Grasas, aceites y grasas
- cáscaras de huevo
- café molido
- Huesos
- Alimentos ricos en almidón, como cáscaras, frijoles, arroz o pasta
- artículos no alimentarios
Hack #3: Elimina las obstrucciones
While we’re talking about disposals, let’s talk about clogs. These steps can help you de-clog your disposal in record time.
- Desconecte la alimentación, ya sea desenchufándola o apagándola en el disyuntor.
- Inspeccione el triturador con una linterna. Si ve una obstrucción obvia, límpiela con cualquier herramienta larga y resistente. ¡Nunca use sus dedos!
- If you don’t see an obvious clog, use a sink plunger. Fill the sink with a few inches of water and start plunging.
- Usa un limpiador de desagües casero. Mezcle una parte de bicarbonato de sodio con una parte de vinagre y vierta la solución por el desagüe. Espere unos 30 minutos, luego abra el agua caliente durante unos 60 segundos.
- ¡Vuelva a conectar la alimentación y pruébelo!
Hack #4: Limpieza de su eliminación
There’s a pretty simple DIY tip for keeping your disposal blades sharp and eliminating those weird smells. Every now and then, put several ice cubes and a hunk of lemon peel down the disposal. Run it without water for about 30 seconds, then run some water and add a little dish soap. You’ll have sharpened blades and a lemony scent in less than a minute!
Hack #5: Limpiador de drenaje de bricolaje
We can’t stress this enough: Commercial drain cleaners are bad news for your plumbing. They’re too strong and corrode your pipes over time. A DIY cleaner is safer, cheaper, and just as easy. For major clogs, try pouring boiling water down the affected drain, followed by ½ cup baking soda. Let that sit for 5 minutes. Then, pour in a cup of vinegar and wait another 5 minutes. Flush with warm water.
Hack #6: Abordar las obstrucciones del inodoro
Your first pro-plumber move for tackling toilet clogs is to have a plunger for every toilet in your home. When you’ve got an overflowing toilet, time is of the essence. You don’t want to be running upstairs for the only plunger in the house!
You can also fix a clogged toilet without a plunger! Stop the flow of water by disconnecting the chain in the tank or by turning off the water at the valve at the back of the toilet. Pour hot water—the hotter the better—into the bowl. Hot water and a little soap can also help break down a clog.
Hack #7: Encontrar fugas invisibles
It’s the end of the month, and you’ve received a huuuuuuuge water bill you weren’t expecting. Next, you notice water damage, mold, and poor water pressure. Sounds like you might have a leak… but how can you know for sure?
Finding an invisible leak can be tricky, but it’s definitely not impossible! Turn off all the taps and take a water meter reading. Wait a few hours with nobody using any water, and check the meter again. If it shows water usage, you definitely have a leak somewhere, and need to call in the pros.
Another common place for leaks? The toilet! Try putting food coloring in the tank. If there’s color in the bowl after 30 minutes, you’ve got a leak from the tank!
Hack #8: Presión de ducha definitiva
Low pressure leads to longer showers, which leads to higher bills. So why not lower your bill and have better pressure—but simply cleaning your shower head? Put a small plastic bag full of white vinegar over your shower head. Secure with a rubber band and leave overnight.
Hack #9: Apriete las tuberías
Las roscas de las tuberías se aflojan con el tiempo, lo que puede provocar pequeñas fugas. Para un tensor de tubería de bricolaje rápido:
- Cierra el grifo.
- Desenrosque las tuberías con fugas.
- Envuelva una sola capa de cinta adhesiva alrededor de los hilos.
- Vuelva a atornillar los tubos.
Hack #10: El grifo que gotea
A leaky tap is the time-old plumbing nightmare. Even though it’s one of the most annoying household problems, a leaky faucet can slip to the very bottom of our to-do lists again and again and again. To stop the constant drip-drip-drip, secure a washcloth around the faucet with a rubber band. Then, when you’re ready to tackle the issue at the source, turn off the water, remove the tap body, put in a new washer or O-ring, and reassemble. Done! The same thing works for leaky pipes, but you’ll want to put a bucket underneath as well.
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