There may come a time when you have issues with your plumbing, whether it’s a clogged sink or plugged up toilet. Check out the tips and suggestions in the article below that will show you easy things you can do on your own to solve these issues and save a call to a plumber.

Roots from a tree in your back yard can be a real headache when it comes to plumbing. If you have a big tree or bush or some kind of plant with a big root system, that you ask your plumbing company about root killing agents, make sure. You can flush these down your toilet and kill any roots that may be blocking your pipes and save yourself a lot of money by stopping a back up before it happens.

Avoid using hard cleaners on your toilets, such as drop-in cleaner tabs in the tank. When these tabs are almost completely dissolved, what’s left of the tab gets washed into the bowl. This can then end up clogging the toilet’s port holes, preventing the toilet from flushing properly. It can take months for this debris to finish dissolving in those holes.

Do not put any oil, fat, or greasy foods or products in your sink. When they cool, they will harden and create clogs in your drains. This is primarily true if you are someone who has a garbage disposal the fats will make the blades go less and slower freely. Dispose of oils and fatty liquids in the trash.

Install screen traps or drain covers on all of your sinks and tub drains. Most home plumbing calls are about clogged pipes. These can be caused by debris, especially hair, washing down the drains. Putting in a trap means that you can clean this debris off before it ends up in the pipes.

Do not put your hand in the garbage disposal to remove a clog. This can be potentially harmful. Always use tongs to get out whatever is stuck in the disposal. Using tongs is much safer, and you will make sure your hand does not get cut on the disposer’s sharp blades.

A sink hose that is installed incorrectly will lead to water flowing into the dishwasher. The hose between the kitchen sink and the dishwasher has to have a peak in the middle so that the water can’t wash back in the wrong direction.

Make sure to pour a gallon or two of water into drains that are used infrequently. Not only does this make sure that they are clear when you need them, but can also fill the trap and make sure that unpleasant odors don’t enter your home. Before they become serious, doing this periodically will also help you to catch problems.

Make sure you turn the water off before you start unscrewing pipes, to be successful in any plumbing project. This tip might actually sound insulting, but you are probably getting caught up in having the right tools and parts and being dressed right. Double-check that there is not a splash waiting for you. Then triple and quadruple check.

Make sure that any exposed pipes in your home are insulated, especially those found in crawl spaces on the outside walls of your home. This will help keep them from freezing and causing you tons of problems. Frozen pipes can often be devastating and leave you with problems that are expensive to fix and no water in the middle of winter.

As was shown in the above article, there are many plumbing issues that can be handled by someone other than a plumber. Once you take the time to read how to do it, you will be amazed at the things you will be doing without the expense of an expert.