A Buyer's Guide to Plumbing Supply Materials

You can purchase plumbing supply materials from several places (these are in no particular order).

Big box hardware stores like Home Depot, Lowes, or Menards are the most well known. You can also visit your local hardware store like Ace or True Value, for example. Industrial supply houses mostly sell to businesses and contractors and will sell everything industrial; from material moving equipment to safety equipment and plumbing material. Some examples are Grainger and McMaster Carr. You can also browse the internet for e-commerce or on-line plumbing supply houses. These suppliers can offer everything from a few niche items to anything you can possibly imagine. Professional plumbing supply houses are another possibility. Many of them will only sell to professionals who carry credit lines, but some (the number is increasing everyday) are finding it exceedingly difficult to turn away cash paying customers (professional or not).

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How do I Decide Where to Buy My Plumbing Stuff?

If you are a consumer and looking for material to do a simple repair the big box store should have what you need. They carry basic plumbing rough-in material and name brand fixtures. Their pricing on common items is very good, however, if you have a repair that requires uncommon materials (materials that they do not carry in-stock), the big box may not be the best place to purchase. Remember, the reason pricing on "common" materials is great at a big box is because of the tremendous volume they buy from manufacturers. If an item in not in-stock, they are not buying it in tremendous volume. Therefore, they do not carry the discount the in-stock item would.

Your local hardware store will carry a limited amount of plumbing materials (nowhere near the volume of the big box stores), but you will probably pay more for the same items you will find in the big box store (see above). Mostly, local hardware stores should be used when you are in a pinch. You may be able to find some private label fixtures that are pretty durable and competitively priced.

For materials or fixtures in large quantities, an industrial supply house or plumbing supply house/wholesaler can give you some very competitive pricing. However, for everyday plumbing supplies, these options are not very practical.

For both professionals and consumers, the best pricing will invariably come from e-commerce sites or on-line plumbing stores. Because these companies have less overhead (physical space, salespeople, distribution, etc) they can, and do, offer materials at a lower price. The downside is that you are buying from a "faceless" entity. You cannot go to the store any physically browse the aisles or talk to a salesperson or clerk. If you know what you are looking for, this can be a very cost effective way to purchase your plumbing supplies.

A Buyer's Guide to Plumbing Supply Materials

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DIY - Solutions To Plumbing Problems and Water Intrusions

Plumbing problems and water intrusions are deemed to be two of the major woes that every home owner may endure at least once, which is two very good reasons to own an efficient sump pump. Though nearly everyone would elect to call in a licensed plumber to do the nasty labor for them, most plumbing jobs are in reality, fairly simple ones that can be done without paying a plumber, a ton of money.

Some people think pouring scalding water down their drain will melt the grease plug that is causing their headaches. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, the melted grease and fats and hair will merely flow down the pipe a bit further, where it will congeal again, usually at a place which is harder to get at.

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So the obstruction should first be plunged to try to open a path through the sludge. If that is successful and there is at least some drainage through the line, then a product that is designed to slowly eat the sludge away should be used. You can find a safe one which is designed to be completely non-toxic at a hardware store. Over a period of a few days, the bacterial action will do, what was just described. The product's directions will probably recommend using it periodically to keep your drains clean. Do that or continue to have the same problems.

In the event that you do have a completely occluded drain and a plunger won't open a path for the organic degreaser to work, you will then have to fall back on another tried and true method. With this remedy, you will need a plumbing snake. You can buy a snake at your closest SnakesRus (I mean your local Lowes store). A snake will positively work through your drains and break up obstructions.

Plumbing snakes are one of the best tools in a plumber's toolbox. You can usually rent a snake, even a powered one from a rental store.

Probably the best way to use the snake isn't easy, as it requires someone to get up on the roof and feed the snake down through the vent stack of the drain line. From there it can be fed all the way to the main drain pipe, breaking up all blockages it encounters in the line. After snaking the line, assuming that line is where the obstruction was, use cold water, NOT hot, as was explained earlier, to flush any debris. Then you can use the product described to avoid future problems.

If you find that your drain lines are not plugged, then your main drain pipe is probably the culprit. Locate the clean out port on the main drain line. It can be identified easily by the screwed in cap, which has a square fitting on the top. Be sure to have a pail or bucket handy to contain some water and gunk. Be SURE to instruct all residents not to use the bathrooms or cause any drain usage while the main drain line is open, or some momentous event might arrive at an inconvenient time.

After you are prepared for it, employ a wrench and remove the cap. Then use a plumbing snake to disintegrate any barriers in the main drains by pushing the snake forcefully in all directions within the main pipes.

Sump Pump Review

Another enormous money saver, is the installation of a high volume sump pump. An occasion of basement flooding, might be extremely unfortunate. A first-rate pump may possibly save you thousands of dollars in home repairs and home values.

If you don't have flood insurance, which is very pricey, a sump pump is a very tiny outlay, by contrast. Just be certain it's able to keep out a huge amount of water.

PS: A battery backup system and sump pump, in the event of electrical outage, would be an awesome idea.

DIY - Solutions To Plumbing Problems and Water Intrusions

LOWES WATER SOFTENER