Don't Flush That!

Putting the wrong things down sinks, pipes and toilets can leave you with an expensive plumbing bill to unblock pipes.

It also adds to the amount of waste arriving at our sewage treatment plants. These extra items must be screened out, dumped in bins and trucked off to landfill.

This can also lead to sewage overflows and problems in other parts of the sewerage network caused by small items building up and blocking the network.

So keep it simple and only flush the three P’s – pee, poo and paper.

Contact Fix Your Plumbing for all blocked pipes and drains.

Plastic Hanging Toilet Deodoriser

Those cute little plastic hangers that you put the cleaning tablet in promise to create a super clean & fresh smelling toilet however they can often cause more damage than you think. The plastic holders that are supposed to hang in the toilet bowl can often fall out and cause a blockage, leading to unnecessary plumbing costs.

Where possible also avoid using cistern and toilet cleaning/deodoriser tablets.When placed in the cistern, the cleaning product can cause deterioration of the rubber seals which leads to premature leaking of your toilet.

Contact Fix Your Plumbing for all toilet and cistern repairs.

Unclog Drains

We all know the warning signs. The sink takes a little longer to drain. You begin to notice water pooling around your feet in the shower. And the odors. The strange, unpleasant odors. They're all signs that you may soon be facing a clogged drain. And then one day, boom. Your drain is blocked completely. It's something you need to deal with quickly, or face the wrath of a burst pipe or a useless bathroom.

Here are some effective tips you can try to clear your drain.

1.  Tweezers -  Remove hair around the drain by hand or put those tweezers to work to pluck away at visible hairs tangled around the drain hole.   
   
   
2. Bent Wire Coathanger - Simple enough, but surprisingly effective. Take a regular wire coat hanger and straighten it out as best you can. Then, bend one end over to create a small hook. Push that down the drain and start fishing. You should be able to get all sorts of hair and nasty stuff out of the drain. Remember, you always want to be pulling gunk out, not pushing it further. When you've got as much out as you can, run the hot water, and it should clear things up nicely.
   
3.  Baking Soda and Vinegar - Mix 1/3rd of a cup of baking soda with 1/3rd of a cup of vinegar in a measuring cup. It will fizz immediately, and you should waste no time pouring it down the clogged drain. The fizzing action will help to remove the gunk, hair, and grime that has built up in the pipe. Let it sit for one hour or even overnight if you can. Flush with hot water. Alternatively, get as much of the dry baking soda as you can down the drain first, then pour on the vinegar.
   
4.  The Wet & Dry Vacuum - If you have a wet & dry shop vacuum, it can become a terrific tool to unclog drains. First, set it to vacuum liquids. Cover up the vent to prevent a mess. Then, create the tightest seal you can over the drain. You may want to get creative and adapt an old plunger head for this purpose. With the vacuum turned on its highest setting, it can be powerful enough to draw the clog up the pipe and into the vacuum bag. It doesn't always work, but it's worth a shot.
   
5.  Boiling Water - Tips don't get any easier than this. Put the kettle on (or use the stove or microwave if you don't own a kettle) and boil up as much water as it will hold. Now pour it slowly down the drain in two to three stages, allowing the hot water to work for a several seconds in between each pour. This is usually the easiest and quickest way to unclog a drain. If there's any water left, congratulate yourself with a cup of tea.

Contact Fix Your Plumbing to unclog your blocked drains.

Pipes Making Noise?

Pipe noises range from loud hammering sounds to high-pitched squeaks. The causes may be loose pipes, water logged air chambers, or water pressure that's too high. Anchoring exposed pipes is a simple solution; other remedies such as anchoring pipes concealed inside walls, floors or ceilings, may call for a professional.

Pipes are usually anchored with pipe straps every 6 to 8 feet for horizontal runs, 8 to 10 feet for vertical.

Banging - When you anchor a pipe, especially a plastic one, leave room for expansion.

Don't use galvanized straps on copper pipes.

Squeaking - Only hot water pipes squeak. As the pipe expands, it moves in its strap, and friction causes the squeak.
Solution: Cushion it as you would a banging pipe.

Water Hammer - This noise occurs when you turn off the water at a tap or an appliance quickly. The water flowing through the pipes slams to a stop, causing a hammering noise.
Check for Loose pipes

For help with those noisy pipes contact Fix Your Plumbing.

Don't lose your hot water this WInter

At this time of year your hot water system is working harder than ever to bring you nice hot showers and baths. A new water system can be expensive but you can extend the life of your system with a few simple checks.

1. Have a look at the age of the unit, hot water unit years to human years is 9 to 1. A long life of a hot water unit is 11 to 13 years.
2. Remove any rubbish from the base of the unit, keep the base and top dry and clear.
3. Exercise the valves on the side of the unit, this will keep them working well and not over pressure the unit if one fails.
4. What will happen if your unit leaks? Is your unit inside where it can flood? Do you have materials that can get wet if it does leak?

You can tell the age of your hot water unit, just look for an information panel like this at the top.

 

 

If you do need to replace your hot water system then consider the size of the unit you need. If your family has grown you may need a larger capacity system or if down-sized a smaller system may suffice.
Contact Fix Your Plumbing today for information and advice on all electric and gas hot water systems.

Toilet Leak

Check the toilet for leaks by removing the top off the tank and listening very closely. If you hear any hissing at all, try to locate where it is coming from. If you locate the area where the leak is coming from, assess it and determine if you can fix it. If you can't, then call a plumber.

• If nothing is noticeable, add some food colouring and put a couple of drops in the tank (not the bowl). Wait several minutes (don't flush) and if you have coloring in the bowl, you have a leak in the flapper at the bottom of the tank that is allowing water to seep through. At this point you can assess it if you want to do the repair yourself, or call a plumber.

• If you have more toilets, go ahead and repeat the process with each toilet to make sure you don't have more than one problem.

Even More Bathroom Design Happiness

There is a lot more to bathroom design than what it looks like. The right choice of products can actually help bring peace and harmony to your home. So if your bathroom feels like a battlefield in the morning, it may be time for change. Contact Fix Your Plumbing today.

Tip 5 - Avoid a chilly, damp morning

 Tip 6 - How to deal with bathroom clutter