Your plumbing system is one of the unsung heroes of your home. Unfortunately, many people only consider their plumbing when it has failed and requires expensive maintenance. Cleaning up after a plumbing disaster rates high among the most stressful issues a homeowner can suffer.
Homeowners can prevent many of these plumbing troubles with basic plumbing maintenance and attention to the small signs that point to an impending issue. These plumbing tips may help you stave off frustrating leaks, blockages, and breakage and keep your plumbing flowing smoothly!
Daily Plumbing Tips to Promote Healthier Plumbing
People often let bad habits slide in the name of convenience. Yet these tiny actions may have greater consequences later. Pick up some new, helpful habits and enjoy a happy plumbing system as a result.
Drain clogs place unnecessary strain on pipes. The longer a clog builds up, the more pressure the pipe endures until a leak inevitably happens. Clog prevention is one of the simplest steps you can take to keep your pipes healthy. Help prevent clogs with a few simple steps:
- Never pour fats, grease, butter, or oils down the drain. These substances will congeal, build up over time, and create clogs. Dispose of these safely in the trash or at your local cooking oil recycling location.
- While the garbage disposal offers a convenient way to deal with food scraps, not everything should end up in it. Avoid fibrous food scraps, such as celery or banana peels. Other difficult scraps, such as the tough peels from cucumber or potatoes, are also not good for the drain. Use the garbage can instead.
- When using the garbage disposal, turn on the water first. Allow the water to run for at least fifteen seconds after you have turned the disposal off to help wash the food particles through the pipes before they can collect into clogs.
- Reduce the usage of bath oils or bath bombs to promote good health of bathroom pipes.
- Only flush human waste and toilet paper down the toilet. Sanitary products, cat litter, and other garbage not designed to go down the toilet can damage the system and create clogs.
Weekly Plumbing Maintenance
You don’t have to add much time to your weekend household chores to ensure your plumbing is healthy. These plumbing tips include basic tasks you can do every week to two weeks that seem small but can have a big impact.
- Check common trouble spots for leaks. Ensure your toilet flapper is in good working order. Also check your shower head for buildup, leaks, or other signs of damage.
- Inspect your plumbing for signs of leakage. Pipes hidden beneath sinks, or behind the water heater, may show signs of failure that go unnoticed by dint of their location. A visual inspection of exposed plumbing can offer an important advance warning before a leak occurs.
- Test your drains for proper draining speed. An unclogged drain should show a full swirl as water goes down. If water instead trickles down the drain, or bubbles occur, the drain’s ability to flush water away has been compromised.
Plumbing Tips and Help When You Need It
If your plumbing is showing signs of trouble, or you’d like to ensure the system is as healthy as it can be, contact Fenwick Home Services. We’re dedicated to providing the excellent service and quality workmanship your plumbing system needs!