Although it is advisable to call your plumber when you have a plumbing emergency, sometimes it’s not practical to sit and wait for the plumber to arrive. Indeed, not all plumbing emergencies will happen during the day or any other reasonable time. That’s why you should always be prepared to fix drainage problems in your house as you wait for your plumber to arrive.

To perform these repair tasks effectively, you need to have certain essential plumbing tools in your house. This article will list some of the most common plumbing tools that every homeowner should have.

Flange Plunger

A flange plunger also referred to as a ball plunger, is used for unclogging toilets. Most homeowners are used to the cup plunger, which has a shape of a cup. But this one is best suited for unblocking sinks and bathtubs. On the other hand, a flange plunger is optimized to seal the opening at the base of your toilet bowl, creating a perfect vacuum effect for dislodging stubborn clogs. Alternatively, you can just push in and pull up the handle attached to it.

Adaptable Pipe Wrench

A pipe wrench is probably the most popular plumbing tool. It is an adjustable tug designed to grip pipes and other round plumbing products of different sizes. Its serrated jaws enable it to keep a firm grip on a round object. This pipe wrench also has a handle and strength of hold that gives it excellent power. However, you have to be careful not to tighten the wrench too tightly because its sharp teeth can easily scratch your pipe. You can use this wrench to open clogged pipes and tighten joints in your drainage system.

Teflon Tape

Although it is one of the cheapest plumbing tools, a Teflon tape is a valuable repair item to have at your disposal. It is a thin tape, usually white, designed to seal off leaks at pipe connections. It can also be used to seal off air leakage in dryer connectors. If your shower head has leaks, you can use Teflon tape to cover them. However, do not use the tape to seal any gas leaks except air.

Faucet Wrenches

These wrenches are specially designed to grasp faucets firmly when you want to tighten or loosen them. The wrenches have fixed and adjustable jaws to help you grasp faucets of different sizes.