When you make time to teach yourself plumbing, it really comes across well in your home. It shows you care about your home and keeping it up. This is an admirable quality. As with any other field of knowledge and skill, there are always opportunities for growth. Below are some tips to help.

Pump out your septic tank at least every five years to keep it in proper working condition. Doing so will help to avoid septic tank problems by ensuring that the tank does not become clogged with sediment. It will cost some to have the septic tank pumped, but it would cost much more to have it cleaned, repaired or replaced due to sewage back up.

Try to never pour grease, fat, or any oil-based liquids into your drains. As they cool off, they can solidify and effectively create clogs and blockages in your drains. As an owner of a garbage disposal, this is important because the blades will stop working if they have fat on them. Dispose of your oils in a coffee can or other suitable container instead of your sink.

If you have well water and discover orange or pink discoloration on your bathtub or sink, you probably have iron in your water supply. You will need a water softener in order to take care of this problem, which you could purchase at a local store, or hire someone to go to your home and fix it for you.

Overflow Holes

Ensure that the overflow holes in your sinks are not clogged. Overflow holes are used in case the sink starts to overfill, which may not seem like a big problem–until it is. Clear the overflow holes periodically when you are doing your periodic checks for other problems and things that need to be repaired.

Use lots of cold water when you run your garbage disposal. The blades on the unit will remain sharper and disposal will proceed with few glitches. Hot water can liquify grease and cause it to collect in the drain, and that can clog the pipes.

When your pipes have clogs and you are thinking of using a pipe cleaner, choose a cleaner that is enzyme based. These types of cleaners will use natural bacteria so that the sludge will turn into liquid form, and be removed from your pipes. Enzyme cleaners are efficient and will not damage your pipes.

You have the tools, the knowledge, and the skill set to apply them all to your plumbing system. That is outstanding! You never need to stop learning, and the tips in this article were devised to help you with plumbing. You might have even discovered a new and interesting plumbing technique you had never heard of before.