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Subject: Slow Draining Sinks -- If your sink drains are chronically slow and you live in an older house, the problem may be an accumulation of sludge in the lines. No amount of plunging and chemicals is going to fix this. What's needed is to climb up onto the roof of your house with a metal snake (preferably one with a business end looking a bit like a ballpeen hammer) and ram that snake down each of the drain lines, entering through the vent stacks, with a fair amount of force. It may require 50 or 100 motions for each stack. A licensed plumber will charge you about US$250 or, you can venture it yourself. You should also snake out any drain clean-outs you can find at ground level.
Subject: Tips on Pipes. If you have a split pipe, instead of draining down the whole system you can buy 'pipe freeze', (I know this product is available in the UK but not sure about anywhere else), It comes with a jacket that you wrap around the pipe and you spray something very cold into it and it freezes the pipe for about 30-40 mins.
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Blocked Tap. Make sure you turn the water off at source before attempting to clear a blocked tap by taking it apart. Blocked Sinks. If you are using a plunger, trying to unblock a blocked sink, cover up the overflow holes with a damp cloth. This helps build up the pressure.
Toilets. If your toilet ball float is leaking and filling with water here is a useful trick I learnt to tide you over until you can get a new one. Take off the float (by unscrewing it), empty it, then screw it back on and wrap it in a plastic bag.
Starting Threads on Pipes - When threading pipes it is sometimes difficult to get started. You can make it easier by cutting slots in the end and then cutting off the end later
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Leaky Toilets. If you think that your toilet might be leaking slightly, check to see if the problem is not due to condensation before calling out a plumber. If you have condensation problems they can be solved by improved ventilation when bathing or showering .
Leaky Cistern - A clever way of checking to see if your cistern is leaking is to put in some food coloring.
PTFE Tape. Remember to use PTFE tape when fixing a leak or making joints. The tape should be wrapped around the thread of the pipe. Clockwise when viewed from the end of the pipe is the correct way to put it on ,
Showers. If the water pressure is very poor in your shower it may be due to lime-scale build up. If you live in a hard water area you should clean your shower heads every three months or so. If the scale is too bad it may be an idea to get either a new hose, or a new shower head .
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