Posts Tagged ‘plumbing’

How To Purchase Your Plumbing Fixtures ?

Sunday, January 31st, 2010

two pipesNormally, the plumbers perform the job of purchasing or selecting plumbing fixtures for your home. A dishonest plumber can take the project expenditure to figures that are beyond your expectation.

Hence, it is always wise to make the required purchases yourself. Though you can derive some suggestions from your plumber regarding the type and dimensions of a particular plumbing component, but carry out the purchase yourself.

Take a pen and a piece of paper and write down all the plumbing fixtures that you require. Consult your plumber on that front and apprehend whether the components he suggested are actually required or not. Prioritize the primary plumbing fixtures such as sinks, faucets, showers, cisterns etc. in the scheme of things. Check whether the old fixture can still work properly or not.

Once you know the plumbing fixture to be bought, move onto the next step. Take proper measurements of the opening or the cabinet that would hold the upcoming fixture. Keep the supervision of the plumber at your disposal while measuring the length and breadth of the space. Note down the measurements on a piece of paper.

How To Prevent Your Plumbing Pipes From Frostbite ?

Friday, January 15th, 2010

Often, the homeowners come to know about their home plumbing problems quite late. Facing any sort of plumbing problem or pipe bursting in the winters is quite a tension. There are several ways to keep away the frostbite from your pipes.

Observe the cracks on the external walls around the plumbing segments and fix them immediately. The situation becomes worse when the temperature is below freezing point. Normally, the chilly wind damages the pipes more than the cold weather. The drifts occupy the spaces around the pipes and lead to frostbite.

Render proper insulation to the plumbing segments and pipes. The insulation can be provided by the purpose-specific insulating materials. Use electric heat tape or pipeline faucets to cover the areas on the pipes that are exposed to the surroundings. Such a setting would definitely protect the plumbing setup from the effects of frostbite.

You should repair all the external faucets before it gets too chilly. You can use a foam faucet cover to protect your plumbing from frostbite. For any emergency situation, keep a number of such covers in stock.

Planning For A New Plumbing System

Tuesday, December 29th, 2009

Pre planning is the most important step before taking up any plumbing remodeling project. Plumbing is all about piping so the very first thing is to decide is where to run the pipes. Many people usually prefer to use the same old cavities for new plumbing as they are already designed so no effort has to be put in again.

If there are some changes required for the new plumbing design, then it is better to run the pipes up from the basement. Like, you can get the bathroom drain line be dropped into the basement and then connected to the main line under the joists rather than running them over the floor joists.

Never try to cut into the floor joists or support beams as this can be risky and can weaken the whole structure. You should always consult a professional because it is important to follow the local building codes for safety. Below are some useful tips for starting your new plumbing project.

One option is to build a chase wall. It is a false wall that is used to hide plumbing connections. It can be used from floor to ceiling allowing plumbing to run from basement to attic. A wall chase is mostly used for running new vent stacks.

A Plumbing Drum Trap

Saturday, December 12th, 2009

In order to provide a serene plumbing setup to your home, certain components deserve a necessary accommodation. One of them is the plumbing trap.

It is a plumbing segment that ensures proper escape of sewer gases. It prevents the waste or sewer gases from coming back into the spaces of the home. The water-seal in the trap keeps the waste gases on the other side of the membrane. Also, the traps hold the objects that are not meant to be drained. In fact, the traps are known as ‘traps’ owing to this particular function.

A plumbing drum trap is a variety of the traps that is not in practice anymore. They are considered outdated and are replaced by more advanced and sophisticated p-traps and s-traps. The piping setup is made less cumbersome under the new types of traps. However, the drum traps offered their own advantages. If your plumbing setup is equipped with a drum trap then there is no need to go for the replacement as long as it is operating normally.

The drum traps are identified by their drum-shaped apparatus. A small-sized steel drum that acts as a trap is employed in such traps. If you locate an access cap on the level of the floor close to a plumbing segment then it is a drum trap.

Choosing The Right Reverse Osmosis Filter

Saturday, December 5th, 2009

The presence of water pollutants and contaminants in your drinking water is an issue that deserves an immediate attention. Common water contaminants such as insecticides, pesticides, inorganic chemicals, detergents etc. pose a major health risk for you and your family.

When it comes to rendering a healthy water state to your home, most households prefer to go with the commercially available water purifiers and filters. Some of them are installed underneath the sink setup while rest of them are counter top ones.

One type that really scores in the category of efficiency is the reverse osmosis (RO) filter. It also carries the distinction of filtering out highest number of contaminations from the water to render an almost pure water.

The reverse osmosis filters work on the theory of reverse osmosis. The contaminants are accepted by the water solution but due to the reversal of pressure midway, the contaminants don’t escape out. Hence, the semipermeable membrane that acts as a filter, separates out the pure water from the salty or contaminated water. This working setup requires a high pressure scenario in the filter.

New Boiler Installation. A Guide For Buyers In Notting Hill

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

You never think about the boiler until the day it stops working. Generally it works behind the scenes without servicing, essentially invisible but performing and one of the most importatnt jobs in the household. However, the day it stops working you realize just how important it is. A new boiler installation is maybe the solution.

Qualified plumbers and gas central mheating engineers are required by law to install new boilers or repair boilers to make sure the boiler works safely and works correctly. West London residents can benefit by using the services of Plumber Notting Hill. They are priced competitively and have an excellent service record. The cover the areas of Notting Hill W11, Holland Park W11, North Kensington W10 and Ladbroke Grove W10.

Installing new boilers, offering free advice, providing free, no obligation quotations. Plumber Notting Hill only employ Gas Safe plumbers and Corgi central heating engineers who are fully qualified with many years experience. They guarantee against faulty installation for 2 years. Each boiler installation comes with de-scaling solution added to the system and a radiator power flush. Everyone receives free advice on the best boiler for the property, combination boiler, system boiler, Megflow or condensing boiler.

Unclogging A Drainage Pipe With A Plumber’s Snake

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

The frequently occurring problem of clogged drains can be diagnosed and fixed if proper measures are adopted from the very onset. Instead of making way for a plumber straightaway, you can yourself unclog the drainage pipe and the associated plumbing component by making use of some basic plumbing tools.

Instead of using a plunger to remove the clog out of your plumbing setup, make way for a plumber’s snake to handle the problem in an effective manner.

A plumber’s snake or an auger is a long cable of metal that has a crank at one end and a corkscrew borer at the other end. While the crank side provides a sound handling to the plumber, the corkscrew end is inserted into the concerned drain to remove any possible clog.

The two types of snakes that are commonly employed in plumbing projects are the typical drain snakes and the less popular closet snakes. Due to their long cable length and easy handling, the drain snakes are popular with the plumbers as well as with the households. On the other hand, the closet snakes have a shorter length of metal cable in comparison to the drain snakes.

How To Unblock Your Toilet Bowl ?

Saturday, November 14th, 2009

When it comes to handling the plumbing problems of your toilet, the issues cannot be left pending for long. Negligence on that front would disturb the overall sanitation schema of your home.

Instead of availing the services of a plumber straightaway, take the task in your own hands. Understand the problem well and plan a course of action to fix the problem.

Make sure that all the necessary plumbing tools are at your disposal. Also make a place for a first-aid kit as well in order to prepare for any possible accident during the project. The tools such as wrenches, pliers, screwdrivers, plungers, plumber’s snake etc. are quintessential in the regular scheme of the things.

Start off the campaign by taking out the plunger from the tool kit. Position it on the hole of the toilet bowl and pump it gently to clear the clog. If the water is filled to the brim of the toilet bowl then overflowing may occur during the plunger’s operation. To prevent such a messy situation, make sure that the excess water is removed from the bowl with the help of a container with a handle. The handle would prevent you from coming in direct contact with the disgusting said waste accumulated at the bottom of the bowl. Depending on the intensity of the blockage, different types of plungers can be employed.

How To Replace Your Sink With A New One ?

Saturday, November 7th, 2009

Once the revamping of your kitchen is underway it is a better idea to replace the old sink with a new one in order to revive the serenity of your kitchen.

Though the task appears to be a heavy-duty plumbing project but can be made less daunting if proper course of action is adopted complemented by the required plumbing tools.

Beforehand select the new sink for your kitchen taking into account the space available for the sink as well as the material of the sink. Start off the campaign by taking measurements of the old sink and how much space it acquired in the middle. Based on these measurements, sort out the new sink type. Nowadays stainless sinks are preferred over other sinks because they are less susceptible to corrosion and decay. Also they fit properly into the counter top leveling the upper surface of the sink with the counter top. Hence no voids are created between the counter top and the sink edges easing the cleaning task. The clips attached well to the sink beneath the fixture render a rigid setup as well.

Removing Drain Clogs

Friday, October 30th, 2009

No one would ever like to have a clogged drain as it gives a very inconvenient and a messy feel. But if you are stuck into this situation, the first thing that most of the homeowners go for is a liquid drain cleaner as it is probably the most convenient and a clean solution for this problem.

One should be very careful while using these chemical products. If your home has a septic system, make sure that the cleaner specifies it is safe for use in septic systems. Different types of drain clog removers may target different types of problems and have different instructions. Make sure you follow them to get the maximum effectiveness.

Many a times, these liquid cleaners does not help, then you can go for some plumbing tools. Plunger is the oldest and a convenient tool to use. It basically works on the principle of suction. But, usually a kitchen or a bathroom sink drain has several other outlets also, thus making the plunger less effective.

If a plunger does not work for you, remove the sink trap. But, before removing it, be sure to remove as much sink water as you can. And if you have already used chemicals on the drain, be very careful while working with it as there can still be some leftovers in the sink.