Although we’d love to charge customers for detecting leaks here at Sewer Specialists Inc., most minor leaks can be fixed without even calling a plumber.

Before calling us for our plumbing services, we highly suggest you to check out the following DIY on how to detect leaks in your home plumbing:

Step 1
The first thing you will need to do is shut ALL doors in the house.
Step 2
Next, locate the white vent pipes on your roof. Choose one for the test and stuff an old rag into the opening of the others.
Step 3
Wearing rubber gloves, empty the contents of 3-4 bottles of peppermint extract [can find in baking aisle] into the open vent pipe. Follow with the gallon of very hot water.
Step 4
Cover that pipe opening immediately.
Step 5
Starting in the lowest floor of the house [basement counts] start by opening one door at a time. You should NOT smell peppermint as you open each room. If you do chances are there is a leak in your sewer pipe behind the walls of that room.
Step 6
Congratulate yourself for saving a few hundred dollars over what a plumber would have charged you to perform the test.

via eHow

For most clogs, there’s easy ways to unclog your drain.  Before you call the plumber, try this DIY that shows you how easily most pipes can be “unscrewed”:

Traps: If you have lost a valuable item such as a contact lens or ring, removing the trap, known as a “P” OR “S” trap, will be a perfect way to retrieve the lost item.

Step 1. Place a basin or bucket to catch water from the trap. If chemicals are present use a chemical resistant bucket and wear chemical resistant gloves. Also shield eyes.

Step 2. Loosen the two end nuts of the couplings. Some can be loosened by hand, but a pipe wrench may be needed. The trap will come free and you can get the lost item, or remove the plug.

Step 3. Check the washers for any damage when putting the trap back on. Replacing the damaged washers now may save you a leak later on.

via doityourself