theplumber

Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, UNITED KINGDOM

Joined April 27th 2011

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Changing Bathroom Taps

April 28th 2011 14:31

The first step to getting started with your new tap project is getting the information to do the job. You need to consult the web and/or educational books to make sure that you have all that you need to make this process happen.

Once you have all your information compiled and feel ready to undertake your home improvement project, you need to look at all the different tap manufacturers for the best quality for the money you are willing to spend.

Your next step in this process would be to remove the old tap. To do this, you will need to shut off your water supply either under the sink or at the main water-supply valve. The hot and cold water supply pipes will need to be loosened. At the tap stem, loosen and remove the compression nut with a basin cock wrench or pipe wrench. To remove the tap now, all that you need to do is remove the nut holding the tap to the sink. The tap should lift off.

Chrome-plated brass hardware may start to decay after time so you may wish to change that as well. A bucket should be placed under the drain to contain excess water still in the drain. A new plug for the sink may come with your new tap. If this is the case, you might like to change that also. This will give you a consistent look on your new design.

You will need to wrap your tap stems with a thread sealer. Before inserting the tap stems into the correct holes install the rubber gasket to the base of the tap. Don't worry if your tap did not come with a rubber gasket. A bead of caulk will do the trick. When you have the tap in position, you can thread the washer, nut, and mounting nut on to the tap tailpiece. Tighten these nuts by hand and then with a wrench.

You may now attach your supply pipes to the tap stems. Make sure that you apply thread sealer to the shut off valve threads. Tighten the coupling nuts to the supply stems. Be careful not to over-tighten the nuts. Reconnect the hot and cold water supply stems.

You are now ready to flush the supply pipes to your new tap. To do this you need to remove the aerator from the tap. Now turn on the water. You will need to check for leaks while the water is running. If there are none, shut off the water and replace the aerator.

Now sit back and enjoy your new bathroom tap. You can take pride in the fact that you just installed it yourself.

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First Things First

April 27th 2011 22:56

Plumbing problems are considered to be one of the major problems that each household can experience at least once in a lifetime. Although most would opt to call a professional plumber to do the dirty work for them, most plumbing repairs are actually minor ones that even you can do without having to pay a plumber some notable amount of cash.

Be Vigilant

One way to fix major plumbing problems is by prevention. Keeping a sharp eye for sluggish or slow drains is the key. It is way much easier to fix and unclog a slow drain than opening one that has wholly stopped from functioning.

If your drain is slow, you can fix this by simply pouring scalding water down the pipe. Do this to loosen any grease buildup. Additionally, you should clean the drain screen or stopper. This should do the trick.

However, if it doesn't, then try to locate the problem by checking out other household drains. Do this to know whether the clog is present in only one fixture. If it turns out that other drains are clogged, then you may have a problem with your main drain pipe.

Sinking In

Fighting a sink clog automatically means getting a bathroom plunger. In picking a plunger, make sure it has a large enough suction cup that can completely cover up the drain. It should also be able to create an airtight seal around the surrounding sink.

Next, you should fill the fixture to completely cover the plunger's suction cup. Do this by using water or coating the cup's rim with petroleum jelly. You should create a vacuum by trying to seal off other outlets, like overflow drain in sinks. Then, push out any trapped air underneath the cup. After this, do 15 to 20 forceful up-and-down pumping blows to jerk loose the clog. It may take you three to five times of this cycle to do the trick.

Snake It Out If using the plunger doesn't work, then you would have to resort to another technique. In this remedy, you would need to have a plumbing snake. You can get one at your local hardware. These can work their way through your drain pipes and physically push out the clogs.

Plumbing snakes are considered to be one of the most dependable tools for fixing drainage problems. All you have to do is push the snake in until you hit the clog. Once you hit the clog, hook it up by twisting your snake's handle. After hooking it up, push your snake back and forth until you feel that the obstruction has broken up. Then, flush out the pipe using cold water.

Main Drain Cleanup

If you detect that more than one of your draining fixtures is clogged up, then your main drain line may be the problem. Thus, you have to clean it up. You can start off by locating the clean-out plugs of the large drain pipes. You can find these in your crawlspace or basement.

Main drain lines can also be found in your garage or somewhere outside, along the foundations of your house. You can see that each plug has a cap on it that has a square fitting on the top. Use a wrench to remove the cap.

Make sure that you have a bucket with you to catch some dripping water. Also, be sure that nobody will use the facilities while you the main drain line is open, or else some serious problem can come your way. Once you have everything in place, use a plumbing snake to break up any obstructions in the main line by running the snake in all directions of the pipe.

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