Pipes are an essential necessity of 21st century living. From drinking water, to effluent sewage, the list is endless. Occasionally, these pipes do develop problems. This article gives a few tips for dealing with leaky and frozen pipes.

You should always turn off the water supply before you attempt to fix a leaking pipe. Ideally, you should turn the water supply off before attempting to fix a leak. However, when this is not possible, you can freeze the water in the pipes with a freezing kit. This will allow you to proceed with the replacement of the leaking section of pipe.

Compression fittings often leak. Tightening leaking compression fittings could actually be enough to stop the leak. Do not over-tighten the fitting, as this could worsen the situation.

If the leaking compression fitting is not fixed, try wrapping it in amalgamating tape after dismantling it. Then reassemble the fitting and check that there are no drips from the pipe. There should not be any drips after you have fixed the leak.

A leaky soldered joint can be dried with a blow lamp. A hair dryer can be used in place of a blow lamp. Then apply some self cleaning flux to the pipe joint, and melt the flux by reheating the soldered joint. You will then use the flux to seal the leak in the joint.

Sealants such as epoxy resin and silicon paste are very useful for temporarily stopping leaks in pipes. For compression fittings, silicon paste is the better choice, since epoxy resin sets quickly and is difficult to remove. After the sealant is applied, you can then go ahead with the task of repairing the leak. As you can see, this is not very difficult.

You will encounter frozen pipes on a more regular basis in the colder regions of the world. Obviously :-) If you are one of the lucky ones that live in a warm part of the world, then you can safely skip the remainder of the article.

Very few of us have had to face frozen pipes. Whilst they are not very difficult to deal with, most of us are not sure how to go about the task. This article attempts to redress the situation.

Keeping the water temperature warm is a very good way to prevent frozen pipes. If you would rather not leave your water heating on, a viable alternative is to use a small portable heater, or even a high wattage bulb.

Another useful tip, especially if you will be away from the house for a while is to leave your taps dripping slightly. This make sure that the water in the pipes keeps moving, and this movement will stop the water in the pipes from freezing.

If you are about to have new plumbing installed, avoid fitting them to the outside of external walls, as they will be more vulnerable to the hazards of winter. Most of us, unfortunately, do not have this option.

For the majority of people with existing plumbing, we can still combat the hazards of winter by insulating the pipewpork. Fibre glass and heat tape are known to give satisfactory results.