Your best source for plumbing information in the bathroom is your own two eyes. Plumbing preventive maintenance starts with inspecting your shut-off valves under the sink and toilet. Do you find leaks, drips or cracks in the basin, bowl or pipes? Leaks are often caused by connections which need tightening. Cracks can be sealed with putty. The next step is lifting the lid on your toilet tank. If your toilet has been constantly running, a quick check of the floater could reveal the source of your problem. Adjust the floater to fix the problem. If there is no problem, check the floater to make sure the fittings are properly adjusted and tightened on the assembly. A loose screw may allow the floater to slip. Bathroom maintenance for toilets includes flushing only paper. Don’t allow any foreign objects to be flushed, and never pour hot liquid into a toilet bowl. Plumbing maintenance includes catching small problems before they develop into major hassles. Is your toilet rocking from side to side? Does it lack the stability it once had? You may need to maintain or replace your toilet flange. This is a fitting that lets you connect to the floor underneath, with the rim of the flange resting on the floor. This prevents any weight being transferred to the drainage pipes, which should never be allowed. If you have an old, decrepit toilet flange you can buy an extender ring that fits over the existing flange. The most important part of toilet maintenance on this part of the system is the airtight seal; follow all installation directions to the letter, and don’t skip the sealing and caulking stages. Toilet flange plumbing maintenance is important for preventing more serious problems later, especially if your current setup is putting weight on the pipes. The last thing you want to deal with is a broken toilet drain pipe.

If you are using bathroom contractors to remodel your bathroom, you'll need to give them some information to help design and plan your new bathroom plumbing needs. If you already have bathroom design ideas, give them to the contractor in advance, and be sure to include the following information: Countertop materials - Do you prefer stone, a solid surface or a laminate? Electric outlets and fixtures - Do you want to add or move something? Sink, toilet and tub - Do you want a larger size, a different configuration or a new location?• What type of cabinets do you want? Do you want new flooring? If you aren't sure on any of these bathroom remodelling ideas, check with the sales rep to look through a catalog or see samples of your options. You can look over a wide range of fixtures, toilet diagrams and bathroom design ideas before committing. Always get multiple estimates on your final design with alternative materials and configurations to see how adding or changing fixtures or materials affect the bottom line.

There are four basic types of bathroom faucet drillings. When upgrading your bathroom plumbing, you may choose to buy a bath sink faucet-and-basin combination, but when buying these pieces separately, remember the configuration of the four bathroom faucet types: Wall-mounted faucets require a spout long enough to reach your freestanding or counter-mounted basin• Single lever - standard for three-hole, pre-drilled sinks Widespread - also made for pre-drilled, three-hole bath sinks Centre set - standard for three-hole, pre-drilled basinsIn addition to these four types of faucets for bath sinks, you can get better water flow control and pressure by choosing an aerated spout. Spouts without aeration may splash more when the water hits the basin. For taller basins, this may not be as much of a problem as it can be with a shallow bath sink. Remember to match sink fixtures properly with the depth and width of the basin if you are buying separately.

Bathroom contractors may not agree on a “standard” height for bathroom sinks and counters, but there are a few considerations to make before finalizing the height of your bathroom plumbing, fixtures and bath sinks. You can find a good height for the bathroom sink by putting a large bowl on a countertop or table and raising the height with a small stack of books until you find the most comfortable bathroom sink height for you. If you have wall-mounted faucets and are replacing a pedestal basin, try to match the height and depth of the original basin if you aren’t sure about a good alternative height. Remember that on wall-mounted faucets, a long stream and a deep basin can create splashing. How powerful is your stream? A shallow basin may get overwhelmed by too much water. It’s important to balance the height, the force and the volume of water with bath sink capacity and draining speed.

This is a blockage of air in the drain, typically caused by a clog. Removing the clog should fix the problem.

Clogged drains may require a video camera inspection if you have repeated problems. Some clogs can be easily fixed, but if you can’t locate the trouble yourself, you should call Drain Pro professionals to do a complete video camera inspection of your plumbing system. A company properly equipped for this task, such as Drain Pro, will provide a complete pipe inspection system to determine the source of your problem. If you require a video camera inspection, chances are the clogged drains are being caused deep within the system. Video camera inspection is an important tool in both detection and fixing the problem correctly. Different clogs require different solutions. You may have debris lodged in the system or tree roots growing into your pipes. Video camera inspection is an excellent way to prescribe treatment.

Nothing stops a command performance of singing in the shower faster than a clogged drain. But the following tips from Drain Pro could be music to your ears when it comes to tackling the problem. Most shower clogs can be corrected easily with a minimum of hassle and mess. All you need are a few simple tools and a little common sense. Hair is usually the culprit when a shower fails to drain properly. In fact, checking the strainer cover that fits over the drain in your shower enclosure may be all it takes to solve the problem. If the perforations are stopped up, clean them out and test the flow of water. If the perforations in the strainer cover are not blocked, don’t panic. All you have to do is follow a few simple steps to remove the clog. First, determine how the strainer cover is attached. Some covers simply snap into place and can be removed from the drain by lifting them with a screwdriver. Other covers are held in place by a couple of screws, which can be easily removed. Once the strainer cover is removed, shine a flashlight into the drain and visually check for a clog. You should see water a few inches below in the drain, but if you spot an obstruction, use a piece of stiff wire – a metal coat hanger crimped to make a hook on the end works fine – to clear the pipe. Gently snag the clog with the wire, being careful not to push the obstruction deeper into the drain. If you do not see a hair clog blocking the pipe, try using a plunger to clear the drain. Commonly known as the “plumber’s friend,” a plunger works best when there is a firm seal around the drain opening. It might help to coat the rim of the rubber force cup with petroleum jelly. Next, pour enough water into the shower enclosure to cover the lip of the rubber cup on the plunger, and make sure the cup is securely fitted over the drain opening. Then, move the handle of the plunger up and down rapidly. If the plunger fails to force the clog free, the next step is to try a hand snake. This device features a flexible coil of spring steel with a crank at one end for rotating it. Carefully feed the metal cable into the drain pipe until you hit the obstruction. When you feel the cable stop, crank the handle clockwise. The tip of the metal cable will snag the clog as it turns. Keep up the cranking motion as you slowly pull the cable out of the drain line and the clog should pull free. If all of these steps fail to clear the drain, call a professional plumber, such as Drain Pro. Cleaners can be poured into drains to remove clogs, but these cleaners contain caustic chemicals and should be used only as directed by the manufacturer. Drains should always be [...]

Bathroom maintenance for drains usually starts with the use of a hair trap. Did you know soap and hair combined can create a clog far tougher to deal with than hair alone? A hair trap is one of the best bathroom preventive maintenance tools for bathtub drains. If you do encounter a slow or clogged bathtub drain, do not pour caustics into the drain to unclog it. Chances are some of the caustic material will backwash into your shower even after the clog has been removed. It’s much safer to use a snake or a bio drain cleaner instead. For bathroom sink drains, a strainer way seem like a bit of overkill, but if you have an older sink without a built-in stopper, a toothpaste cap falling into your drain can be a big inconvenience. Small hair traps are plumbing maintenance tools which prevent foreign objects from entering the bathroom sink drain including contact lenses, rings or necklaces.

Once you have had plumbing drain cleaning services, there are some preventive maintenance tricks you can try to prevent future clogs and drain issues: Install hair traps in your showers and sinks. Use a food-grade filter in your kitchen sink to prevent debris from washing down the non-disposal drain. Switch to thin, non-quilted toilet paper to avoid clumping in the sewer line. Use a monthly BioChoiceES® drain cleaning treatment for all drains. Clean all hair, food and grease traps regularly. Preventive maintenance helps reduce your need for drain cleaning machines or services, reduces odours and extends the life of your drain system. You will notice faster draining time, more efficient garbage disposal in the kitchen sink and reduced toilet clogging.

Your kitchen faucets may experience a problem or two along the way. Home kitchen design is great when it is brand new, but over time your kitchen fixtures may develop some minor issues that need fixing. Is water coming out of the sides of your kitchen faucet instead of the spout? Kitchen faucets with an aerator develop this problem when the aerator needs a good cleaning. Is the water flow slow? Irregular? The aerator may need replacing. A constant drip from your faucet indicates that a washer has worn out and needs replacing. Has your faucet valve locked up? This happens when mineral buildup becomes too great. Spray the valve with a water and vinegar mixture to loosen the valve again. Do you have shut-off valves that won’t work when you try to shut off the water supply to fix your faucet? Spray them down with WD40 or a similar lubricant and try using a wrench or pliers to turn the valves.