Many of the people who call Clog Busters LLC for help have already tried DIY plumbing fixes. While it’s important to call a professional if you aren’t confident in unclogging a drain on your own, we do encourage people to try out quick fixes when possible. Here are five DIY actions you can do to help keep your home maintained without having to shell out the big bucks.
1. Practice Prevention
The first and simplest DIY action any homeowner can do is to try to prevent plumbing issues. Here are a few easy things you can do on a daily basis to protect your plumbing system:
- Clean your dishwasher’s food trap once a month to keep it from clogging.
- Run cold water for 15 seconds before and after using a garbage disposal.
- Don’t put impossible-to-grind things down the garbage disposal like cherry pits, spoons, or bones.
- Don’t pour grease or oil down the drain and add drain catches that prevent things like hair and other debris from clogging your drain.
- Don’t flush things down the toilet that will clog the pipes.
2. Check Your Existing Systems
Take time out to test your existing plumbing systems like a sump pump, your toilets, and any floor drains. Catching small problems with current systems early on can help you to save money in long term repairs.
3. Use Emergency Measures
We’ve all had it happen. We flush the toilet and instead of the water swishing down the drain, it begins to rise. Different homeowners have a variety of reactions to this problem. However, the best reaction is to:
- Be prepared for emergencies like this. Preparedness includes having a plunger to-hand and, if the worst happens, knowing where your water shut off valve is.
- Use your elbow grease and plunge that bad boy! Rising toilet water is not something you want all over your floor, so get in there and start plunging.
Finally, we recommend having more than one plunger in your home. Minimally, you should have a dedicated toilet plunger and a dedicated sink plunger. However, plungers are such a cheap piece of equipment with so much potential return, it’s best to have one in each bathroom and one under the kitchen sink.
4. Keep Up Regular Maintenance
It’s much easier to see when there is a real problem if you’ve consistently cleaned and maintained your sinks, toilets, and tubs. Additionally, keep an eye on things that expire – like your water heater. By keeping your plumbing systems maintained and understanding when things expire, you will be able to tell very rapidly when something is not working properly.
5. Understand Your Sewer System
Some Portland homes have nonconforming sewer lines, which means that you may experience sewer issues that are typical to such lines – but will seem unusual if you’ve never lived with an older sewer system. For example, if you have a private sewer line in a public right-of-way, you may experience issues with your sewer line if the city accidentally hits it in the course of construction. Or, if you have a party sewer and you are the “guest” on the line, you may experience a backup caused by your neighbor’s sewer line malfunctioning – even if yours is working just fine.
By understanding your existing sewer structure, you can be prepared for any issues – or even proactively fix the current sewer set up before anything bad happens to your sewer system.
Here at Clog Busters LLC, we are here to help you no matter your home maintenance/DIYer skill level. If you are experiencing drain or sewer issues, give us a call and we will help you sort it out!