Once you own a home, you can expect problems to arise with your plumbing sooner or later. The majority of the time this happens in the kitchen or bathroom. Really, at some point every homeowner will deal with some kind of plumbing problem. This article contains some information to help when that situation occurs.

Pump your septic tank every five years to keep it working well. Regular maintenance will keep sediment from backing up inside of the tank. Sediment can not only cause the sewage in the tank to back up into your house, but it can cause the tank to fail completely. Getting your septic tank drained occasionally may be expensive, but it’s dirt cheap compared to the cost of repairing a damaged septic system or the cleanup cost when raw sewage backs up into your home.

Feel the floors around the toilets to see if they are soft; this will help you know if you have any damage. Straddle your toilet and gently rock foot to foot to see if your floor feels a little weak or soft. Picking up on any problems now will definitely work to save you money later. It’s the difference in a little maintenance and total floor replacement.

A strainer positioned over a drain can prevent stoppage by collecting food particles as they try to enter the drain. You should clean your strainer in your kitchen anytime you have anything in it. You should clean out the strainer in your bathtub often.

Try to never pour grease, fat, or any oil-based liquids into your drains. Oils will eventually harden and clog up your drain. This can make your garbage disposal run slower. You should dispose of all oils outside of the sink.

To make sure your garbage disposal last a long time, clean it regularly. By regularly incorporating a routine using a combination of dish soap, lemon rinds, and even cherry pits, you can keep your disposal running smoothly and smelling as fresh as the day it was installed.

You should make sure that the holes are not stopped up on the overflow. Overflows holes can be used in the event the sink overfills, which is a big problem if they are clogged. Take the time to clean out the overflow holes as you go through your house doing your regular checks for various issues.

If water that is not supposed to be there is in the dishwasher, the likely culprit is a kitchen sink hose not properly attached. The hose leading from the kitchen sink to the dishwasher must lead uphill and then back downhill in order to prevent mixing of water from both devices.

Take preventative measures to keep your plumbing costs low. Clogged drains are a major problem that often requires professional help. Too much hair will clog a drain. Put drain covers over your bathtub and sink drains to keep loose hair from going down the drain or into your pipes. It’s a lot simpler to eliminate hair that is on a screen than eliminating it off a pipe.

Being unprepared when an issue with plumbing strikes is not advisable. As a homeowner you will need to have some basic plumbing tools, as well as the knowledge to be able to use them. The tips you learned here will assist you in dealing with whatever plumbing problems you encounter in the future.