Perhaps the bathroom is where one is most often has close encounters with plumbing problems. The toilet won't stop running, or maybe it overflowed. Maybe the sewer line itself backed up (we hope that none of you ever experience the horror). Maybe you have a smelly drain, or your bathroom sink drain is clogged up. All of these scenarios happen frequently, and often result in A. Huge messes; B. a call to the local plumber. In order to remove some of the mystery and trauma from common bathroom plumbing problems, we've rounded up the best of the bathroom plumbing articles that we've published into one handy post.

Five Behind the Scenes Parts of Your Bathroom You Should Know About: Knowing about your bathroom's pressure-balancing valve, thermostatic valve, vent stack and main stack, shutoff valves and P-trap can enable you to identify bathroom plumbing issues, and know when to call in a pro.

Five Ingenious Ways to Unclog a Toilet: I think almost everyone has encountered this situation: You're at someone else's house, or perhaps in the office, you use the bathroom and the toilet starts to overflow instead of flushing whatever is in it down. This is a truly humiliating experience, but fortunately there are a few things you can do if such a disaster befalls you.

How to Fix a Running Toilet: This tutorial comes with pictures and easy-to-follow instructions. It was written by someone whose primary occupation is writing and editing home improvement manuals, so you can be sure that the instructions are good.

How Bad For Plumbing Are Disposable Wipes?: In the past few years, disposable wipes in the bathroom have become ubiquitous. With them came a phenomenon known as "the plug." It is as disgusting as it sounds. Read this article before flushing those "flushable" wipes.

Easy Fixes for Smelly Drains: Does your drain smell like the sewer? That's sewer gas. This article explains how sewer gas rises up from pipes and drains, and into your bathroom. The Denver remodeler who wrote it also discusses smells that are the result of drain clogs.

How to Unclog Your Sink's U-Bend: Also known as a P-trap, the U-bend of a sink can generally be easily unclogged by a DIY-er who isn't afraid of coming into contact with some smelly, grimy, slimy brown stuff.

How to Auger Your Home Sewer Line: While many would opt to call a pro to take care of this job, some intrepid DIY-ers manage on their own. Learn how. The process involves renting a sewer auger.

How to Stop Water Hammer: That clanging sound when you turn the hot water on in the shower actually can be stopped.

Chaya Kurtz writes for Networx.com.