Having an emergency plumber visit your home in the dead of night is a very expensive exercise. There are a few things that you can do with a little technical know how and some can do attitude that may save you a small fortune and give you the satisfaction of self-reliance.
Repairing a Toilet: Home Plumbing Tips.
Prevention is better than a cure.
One of the main causes of a plumbing emergency is a blocked drain. The causes of blockage are common and fairly easily avoidable. The first would be to not use your kitchen sink as a grease trap. When you pour oil down the kitchen sink it can congeal and become mixed up with other debris present in the drain. If enough gunk becomes coagulated then there is a real danger of the drain becoming blocked and overflow into your home. Food, hair and paper are also common culprits for causing a blocked drain. The easiest method to prevent drains becoming clogged with these substances is to STOP putting them down the drain!
Plunge into the deep end
An old fashioned remedy for a blocked drain or toilet is to find your trusty plunger. You will recognise it by its thick wooden handle and rubber cup on one end. Grasp the wooden handle by the end further most from the rubber cup, then place said cup over the offending drain, creating an airtight seal. Rapidly raise and lower the plunger whilst maintaining the firm seal around the drain. Given time and enough effort this method should clear all but the most stubborn of blockages.
Use some elbow grease.
If you are determined to continue pouring oil or grease into your drainage system, or can’t be bothered cleaning the hair from the shower drain, or even feel that it is fun to mash half a sandwich into the plug hole of your kitchen sink, then there are other options for you. You could place a bucket under the grease trap and unscrew it and wash the bend with detergent and dump the remains out side on the lawn – Don’t put the mess back in the sink you started with- it will just end up all through the cupboards, covering you and your kitchen in foul smelling goop.
Dissolving those dilemmas.
If your kitchen sink is starting to stink from all the half eaten sandwiches and bacon grease you have poured in to it then another method you could use is the age-old remedy of caustic soda. Now this is a dangerous substance so please use it following all of the safety instructions on the label. Always use thick rubber gloves when handling caustic soda. One of the best ways to use it is mix a measured dose with water and then pour this directly down the drain, let the mix sit overnight and then flush the sink with fresh water in the morning. Do not, I repeat DO NOT use this in your toilet. It will kill all the friendly and hardworking bacteria that populate the septic system and will cause far more damage than it helps.
Taking a few simple steps, and responding to small signs such as foul odours emanating from your drains may save you the expense of having to call an emergency plumber in the dead of night.
Should the worse come to fruition please contact us at Tweed heads Plumbing Services or Gold Coast Plumber or Plumber Gold Coast
