DIY Plumbing Tips

Plumbing is a skilled and varied profession that incorporates many different areas of the trade. Some plumbing jobs should be left to a professional plumber for reasons of health and safety. Plumbing jobs that involves working on gas pipes of central heating boilers should definitely be left to a professional gas fitter or heating engineer, as a mistake could cost you or someone else their life. There are a lot of DIY plumbing repairs that you can do yourself without putting yourself or any one else in danger.

This article will discuss the subject of repairing a dripping pipe joint and will tell you how to make an effective repair that will last. Dripping pipes can be annoying to say the least, but a dripping tap that is left unattended for a long period of time can cause a fair amount of damage to your property. Most drips come from badly fitted pipe joints, these pipe joints can be found on a number of applications that include the following.

• Kitchens sinks, bath traps and basin traps are all connected to the waste water pipe using a threaded joint; if the joint is leaking it can cause damage to the units, the floor or anything that is below the joint. The best way to remedy this type of leak is to remove the connecting nut and make sure that the rubber washer is in good condition and is present. The next step is to make sure that the pipe is pushed full in to the fitting on the trap a good idea is to bind the threaded part of the trap with PTFE or thread tape to ensure a good seal.
• Leaks from compression joints or mechanical joints can also be rectified in a similar way. Compression joints are normally maintenance free but if they are disturbed or the pipe work they are connecting is disturbed the joint can start to leak. If you find one of these joints leaking the best thing to do is to isolate the water and drain the pipe work fully. This can be done in most cases by opening the taps. Carefully slacken the joint with a spanner; it is a good idea to have some type of container or a towel under the joint to catch any residual water that may be left in the pipe work. Undo the nut fully and then bind the treads on the joint with PTFE tape or use a jointing compound, retighten the nut and the repair is complete.