I am super excited to announce that This N That with Olivia is an official Roto-Rooter® Brand Ambassador for 2017! Over the next year I will be sharing helpful tips and tricks for common plumbing problems and how Roto-Rooter®products can help. If you ever have drain problems, you know how much it can cost to call a plumber. With Roto-Rooter® products on hand, you never have to worry about this! Roto-Rooter® has a wide variety of home products to help you with clogged drains and more!
Plumbing issues can be quite expensive. Taking care of your home’s septic system is important and when an issue arises you may not have to call a plumber. Of course there will still be issues requiring a more in depth repair, but hopefully these plumbing fixes that I outline below will help you in your home and help you save some money.
First Things First
Before you start any repair, there are a few things that you need to do. First, you’ll want to assemble a DIY Plumbing Repair Toolkit. These are the items that you’ll need for these simple repairs. This toolkit includes the following:
- 2 Plungers (you’ll want one for your sink and one for your toilet)
- Adjustable wrench
- Screwdriver
- Pliers
- Utility Knife
- Plumbing Tape
- Caulking Gun
Next, you’ll want to learn where your water supply valves are. This is important as many simple plumbing repairs will require you to turn the water off, either at the source (such as a sink) or at the main home supply. It is really important to know where these shut-offs are located. Usually, they’re near the sink or in your home’s basement. Further, the system’s main water shut off is usually where the water line enters your house.
Plumbing Fixes You Can Do Yourself
- Fix a leaky faucet — This can be a relatively easy fix depending on the type of faucet. You can look for your particular faucet or the different types of faucets online to learn how to take them apart. I personally like to use YouTube videos as they’re the most useful and hands on to me. If your faucet has a slow drip, that usually means a washer needs to be replaced. If this is the case, know what size you need before you try to replace it or go to the store.
- Replace showerhead — You can reduce water consumption by upgrading your showerheads to low floe ones. You can purchase a new one at your local hardware store and they’re not too hard to install. Most of them will come with instructions for installation and the best way to learn how is to watch YouTube videos.
- Stop a running toilet — Usually this means that there is a faulty stop valve or floater switch. This is the large bulb in the back of the toilet that stops the flow of water into the toilet when the tank is full. Sometimes this can go bad and you will find that jiggling the handle may fix the problem temporarily. You can fix this permanently by replacing the entire assembly.
- Unclog a drain — Clogged drains are the most common plumbing issue. You can fix this by taking a little time and elbow grease. There are a few things that may be the culprit like putting grease or food particles down kitchen drains or hair in the bathroom drain. My favorite product for drain cleaning is Roto-Rooter Gel Clog Remover. This product is a professional gel formula with 25% more active ingredients than the leading national brand and delivers precise viscosity to power through standing water to remove stubborn clogs and soap scum from bathroom sinks, tubs and shower drains. If you have a hair clog, I love the Roto-Rooter Hair Clog remover with 25% more hair dissolving ingredients to remove stubborn hair clogs and clear blocked drains. Independent lab tests have proven that Roto-Rooter Hair Clog Remover clears tough clogs up to 50% faster than other national brands. There are a variety of products in this line to help clear drains and to take care of your septic system. Be sure to check out Roto-Rooter 101 to learn more.
- Garbage disposal repair — I love my garbage disposal but it is bound to get clogged or jammed at some point. This isn’t necessarily a hard fix, but it takes some time and a flashlight. A majority of garbage disposals come with instructions on how to properly repair the disposal if it gets jammed. One key thing to remember is to ALWAYS make sure the power to the disposal is turned off before you do any repairs.
What other plumbing fixes can you do yourself?
About Roto-Rooter
You know Roto-Rooter® as the #1 BRAND IN PLUMBING SERVICES. Now, you can have that same 80 years of expertise in a bottle; introducing Roto-Rooter® Drain Care Products:
- The Strongest National Brand.
- Roto-Rooter® Gel Clog Remover is proven to work at least 50% FASTER than other national brands. Why?
- Roto-Rooter® has 25% MORE ACTIVE INGREDIENTS than other brands.
- Roto-Rooter’s proprietary thickeners provide the PERFECT VISCOSITY, allowing it to slowly work into the clog and dissolve the hair and grease. Other brands are either too thick and just sit on top of the clog or too thin and run right through before the actives can work.
A superior product…what else would you expect from the #1 brand in plumbing?
Jennifer G
Thursday 6th of July 2017
Ahh these are such amazing tips. To be honest I know diddly when it comes to plumbing but at least now I can claim to know a little more!
Brianne
Thursday 6th of July 2017
These are such great tips! I don't know anything when it comes to plumbing!
Melanie
Thursday 6th of July 2017
I'm inspired and a little nervous. Plumbing freaks me out! I have visions of floating out of my house and busting a pipe. but it's time to get over it. Need to try these projects as they arise.
Nellie Blazina
Thursday 6th of July 2017
Thanks for the helpful tips. We use Roto-Rooter and love it. Works quickly and efficiently.
Kristin
Wednesday 5th of July 2017
Oh this is so great! You never know when something will happen. This is essential.