Maintaining your home's plumbing

• Porcelain - Porcelain on steel or cast iron are both used primarily for kitchen sinks, laundry sinks, and bathtubs. Although the stronger base makes porcelain fixtures generally more durable, they do chip, and the finish is every bit as easy to scratch as vitreous china. If you drop a heavy object onto a porcelain fixture, you may not shatter it, but you might chip the enamel. Fortunately, there are companies that specialize in making such repairs. A chip can be repaired for about $50 to $75. Chip-touch-up kits are available at your local home center or hardware store. They don't last, and the finished result usually looks terrible.

• Shower stalls - If you have tile shower walls, there is a very good possibility that a leak could develop between the tile and the tub. As the house moves (a natural process that occurs in every home), a hairline crack can occur that allows water to get into the joint. Once water gets in, there is no telling how much damage can be done. That's why it's important to annually caulk the connection between your shower walls and the tub or shower pan. It is always best to remove what exists and caulk from scratch.

There's another good reason to re-caulk. If you've tried to remove the black mildew stains from caulk, you know it's sometimes hopeless. That's because the stains are often behind the caulk -- between the caulk and the wall. The answer, of course, is to remove the caulk, kill the mildew, and then replace the caulk.

Removing the caulk isn't as hard as it appears. One company makes a product called Caulk-Be-Gone and another makes an Adhesive & Caulk Remover, two commercial products that can assist you in the job. These products are specially formulated to soften caulk for easy removal.

After the caulk has softened (it may take a few hours), remove it with a plastic putty knife. Clean the joint with paint thinner and wipe the area dry with a clean rag.

The tub overflow is the device located at the end of the tub just above the drain. It derives its name from the purpose it serves: preventing a tub from overflowing.

Sinks also have overflows (a hole beneath the front edge), but with sinks, the overflow is built in-no hardware is attached that can fail and leak.

What you see when you look at a tub overflow is a decorative metal cover. Sometimes the overflow assembly holds the lever for a built-in drain stopper. There is a gasket behind the cover and on the outside surface of the tub. Beyond the gasket is the pipe that is used to direct overflow into the sewer system. The two screws located in the overflow plate hold together the decorative cover plate, the overflow gasket, and the overflow pipe. When the screws become loose the gasket can leak.

You should check the screws every year or two to ensure that they are snug. If you overfill the tub and the gasket is not tight, it can leak behind the tub, causing problems that can be hard to detect.

Toilets - If the floor is wet around the toilet, you obviously have a leak. There are several places to look:

First, check the shut-off valve at the wall. Use a towel to dry the floor around the toilet. Next, lay a piece of toilet paper on the floor beneath the valve. Wait for about 15 minutes. If the toilet paper is wet, the shut-off valve (or the supply tube connected to it) leaks. Try tightening the valve fittings. If that doesn't work, the valve and supply line should be replaced.

Use a small clump of toilet paper to wipe the bottom of the tank where the supply tube connects. If it is wet, the leak is there. Tighten the nut and the supply line at that location. If that doesn't work, replace the supply line.
Check the area beneath the bowl where the tank connects. You will find two bolts that hold the tank to the bowl. If either of them leak try tightening them slightly. Don't over-tighten, you can crack the toilet. If this doesn't work, replace the rubber gasket that is on either bolt within the tank. Empty the tank, remove the bolts, replace the gaskets, and reinstall the bolts. Check the entire exterior surface of the toilet for hairline cracks. If you find any, the toilet needs to be replaced. If water is seeping out between the base of the toilet and the floor then the wax ring (sewer line to toilet seal) has failed. Remove the toilet, replace the seal, and reinstall it. Even if the floor is dry, if you have access to the area beneath the toilet, it is a good idea to occasionally check to see if the toiled has developed a hidden leak. (Like in the basement or crawlspace.) Check for damp wood or evidence of dripping water. If you find telltale evidence, the wax ring should be replaced

If you do experience a blockage, try clearing the obstruction with a plunger. If that doesn't work, cut a coat hanger and bend a hook in one end. Force the coat hanger into the neck of the toilet and try to hook the blockage. If you're not successful, it's time to use a plumber's snake or call the plumber.

• Galvanized iron pipe has its drawbacks. Mineral buildup and corrosion within the pipe can result in a significant drop in water pressure and ultimately can be the cause of leaks. Unfortunately, even copper systems have their health drawbacks. Until the late 1970s, solder -- the material used to weld the connections -- was comprised of 50 percent tin and 50 percent lead; lead at soldered connections can leach into the water system. A whole-house water softening system can magnify this problem, because it can be corrosive and further break down the solder.

To minimize exposure to lead from drinking pipes, follow these simple precautions. Never drink water straight out of the faucet. Let the water run for a few minutes first. Second, never use hot water out of the faucet for cooking. Hot water tends to draw more lead out of pipes and lead solder than cold water. If you need to heat water, always start with cold water first. In most pipes nowadays, solder consists of 95 percent tin and only 5 percent lead. This makes copper piping one of the safest and most cost-effective choices for residential water systems.

• Plastic piping has overtaken copper for residential water systems in some parts of the country. But it only accounts for a fraction of the systems nationally. Moreover, many municipalities don't yet permit its use.

• Replacing a section of threaded pipe (pipe that is screwed onto a fitting) is not nearly as difficult as you might imagine thanks to the wide assortment of threaded sections of pipe that are now standard inventory at most hardware stores or home-improvement centers. These "pre-fab" sections come in various diameters and lengths. Furthermore, many stores custom cut and thread a section of pipe in the event a stock item is not available.

The first step in replacing a section of damaged water pipe is to turn off the main water shutoff valve so that no water flows into your home. The shutoff valve is located where the water supply enters the house -- at an outside wall, in the basement, or at the water main. Open a faucet at the lowest point in the home to allow the line to empty. Next, cut through the damaged section using a hacksaw or a reciprocating saw. This allows each of the two pieces that remain to be unscrewed from its adjacent fitting.

Removing the existing pipe from the fittings to which it is attached may prove difficult. Over time, these connections can "freeze" in place, making them virtually impossible to separate. Using two medium pipe wrenches in opposing directions (one gripping the pipe and the other the fitting) enhances the leverage needed to break the connection. If it is plastic, cut it as close to the fittings as possible.

For galvanized piping spray the threads within the fittings with more of the penetrating oil. Allow the oil to sit for approximately 15 minutes and use a small wire bottle brush to remove any residue and prepare the area for a new leak-free connection.

To put things back together, you need two sections of pipe and a union. The total length of the two pieces of pipe and the union must equal the length of the damaged pipe. When calculating the overall length of material needed, measure from the face of one fitting to the face of the opposite fitting and add 1 inch. This accounts for 1/2 inch of threads at either end, which overlap into the fittings.

The union is a fitting that consists of three components: two union nuts and a ring nut. The union nuts attach to the replacement sections of pipe where they are to join. The ring nut is inserted over one of the sections of pipe and acts to join the two pieces together.

Prior to assembling the pipes, apply a pipe joint compound to the threaded ends and the threads in the fittings. Press the compound into the threads with a fingertip. Screw each of the two sections of pipe into their respective fittings (where the previously damaged sections were removed). Make sure that the union ring nut is inserted over one of the sections of pipe because you won't be able to slip it over the union nuts. Tighten both sections of pipe and then the ring nut. Just as with the removal process, using two pipe wrenches makes reassembly easier and safer. Complete the process by turning the main water supply on and checking for leaks.
Every plumbing fixture in your home is joined by the same drainpipe, including the kitchen sink, the dishwasher, the clothes washer, the toilets, and so on. The waste from each of these fixtures exits the house through this one drainpipe. A problem caused by one fixture can easily become a problem for all the other fixtures.

• Drain and sewer pipes. Your common, everyday household sanitary sewer system consists of these basic elements:

The waste lines and drainpipe: The waste lines carry sewage from each of the fixtures in your home down through the walls and under the floor then outside the home to either a public sewer system beneath the street or a septic tank somewhere below ground on your property. A clog in any of these pipes stops waste from reaching its destination away from your home -- and it can back up into your home. Cooking grease, coffee grounds, hair, and soap scum are four of a drain's biggest enemies. Great caution should be taken to avoid introducing any of these into a drain.

Vent pipes: Vent pipes travel from each plumbing fixture (or group of plumbing fixtures), upward (inside walls) and out through the roof. These are the black pipes on top of your roof. The vents allow air into the sewer lines so that they drain freely. A clogged vent pipe can be a serious problem, preventing good drainage of the waste.
The p-traps: You have one of these traps in every fixture: sink, toilet, washing machine, you name it. If the fixture drains into the sewer system, the water or waste first travels through a p-trap. The trap allows water and waste to enter the sewer system while at the same time preventing sewer gases from backing up into the house. A clogged p-trap can inhibit the flow of waste from the home and can allow stinky gases to back up into the home through the fixtures.