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While there are times when a service professional is necessary, it’s also a good idea to learn how to maintain your home’s plumbing yourself. Here are four basic plumbing tips to help keep your Cincinnati home’s fixtures functioning properly. 

• Main water shutoff valve – One of the most valuable plumbing tips: Locate your home’s main water shutoff valve and understand how to turn it off in the event of a plumbing disaster. There is often a main shutoff valve in the home, but if that cannot be located, the water main is generally found at the curb with the sidewalk as an access point. Learning how to shut off this valve will prevent excess water from entering your home.
• Slow-draining/clogged sinks – Do the sinks in your home take forever to drain? Learn how to use a drain snake, also called an auger, to undo clogs in the piping. Procure a snake from a local rental company to clear out any slow-running drains/pipes. This action may require a good bit of strength and also involves snaking the drains at ground level. Should you feel uncomfortable performing the cleaning, hire a service professional.
• Flushing the toilet – Don’t flush any products down your toilet except for toilet paper. Feminine products and anything else thicker than toilet paper can result in severe clogs in the sewer pipe, and the toilet will cease to work properly.
• Showerheads and sink faucets – If the flow from your showerheads and sink faucets is slow or uneven, it’s likely due to calcium buildup from hard water. Gravel accumulation in the faucet head screen could also be the issue. Dissolve calcium deposits by removing the faucet and cleaning it with white vinegar. Remove gravel through screen cleaning. This is done by detaching the showerhead. If this is your first time performing this cleaning, use your phone to take photos for reassembling purposes.

For more plumbing tips and other issues relating to home comfort, please contact the pros at Apollo Home Heating, Cooling and Plumbing. We’ve been serving the greater Cincinnati area since 1910.

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