Thanks to your plumbing system always working behind the scenes, you get access to fresh, clean water while keeping wastewater out of your home every single day. Like most homeowners, you probably don’t think much about that network of pipes behind your walls—at least until it starts acting up.
When a plumbing issue occurs suddenly, it can do so with a severity that borders from annoying to catastrophic. Fortunately, it’s not that difficult to take care of your plumbing system and prevent common issues. In this article, you’ll learn three important plumbing maintenance tips to keep your system in tip-top shape and avoid unnecessary headaches.
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Schedule A Comprehensive Inspection And Maintenance
Like most people, you probably have a busy life. Thus, it can be challenging to fit household tasks like plumbing maintenance into your time-constricted schedule. Even if you have some free time, you probably don’t want to spend it looking under your sinks to check the condition of your piping.
However, in terms of plumbing issues, leaving any problems (regardless of how small) for too long could create costly, long-lasting damage in your home. In fact, repairing common plumbing issues like leaky faucets can only cost you around US$270. Or you can go DIY to further reduce the cost. However, if you leave some issues for far too long, it won’t just affect your piping but also the surrounding structure of your home. As such, your plumbing repair cost can increase to as high as US$3,000, especially if you need water damage restoration services.
To avoid these expenses, make a plumbing maintenance schedule, which can help you to regularly keep track of things that may need fixing. If you really can’t squeeze regular plumbing maintenance into your schedule, you can always hire companies like Dan’s Plumbing.
Hiring an expert not only helps save you time but also ensures a more thorough inspection of your plumbing system. They can also help provide quick fixes to developing problems and give you pointers on how to better care for the plumbing system.
Take Care Of Your Toilet And Drains
Your toilet and drains—whether your shower drain or kitchen drain—are always working hard to flush away wastewater from your home. Unfortunately, these parts are also the most common victims of poor lifestyle habits.
Most homeowners are guilty of using their toilet as a trash can, flushing away items like wipes, sanitary products, cotton swabs, cotton balls, and other bathroom debris into the fixture. While your toilet may be able to flush away these items, it doesn’t mean you should throw them in there. Toilets are for disposing of bodily waste only. If you don’t stop this bad habit, you’ll soon face the consequence of toilet clogging or, worse, a backflow.
In addition to toilets, drains, especially kitchen drains, have also served a second purpose of being a trash can. Food scraps, leftovers, grease, and oil that find their way into kitchen sink drains will soon create a serious clogging in the plumbing. So, as with your toilet, be mindful of what you throw in your kitchen drain.
Meanwhile, drains in your bathroom are particularly prone to hair clogs and soap. While this may be unintentional, don’t wait for these to create a full blockage. Periodically clear your drains with a homemade cleaning solution to remove debris and prevent blockages. Also, make sure to add covers in all your drains to capture and collect debris you don’t want in your pipes.
Check The Water Pressure
Have you ever experienced looking forward to a quick, refreshing shower only to be met with slow trickling? While you may not think much about it, water pressure regulation is necessary for a healthy plumbing system.
If you have low water pressure, it can take longer to do showers or wash the dishes. But aside from the inconvenience it creates, consistent low water pressure may be a sign that one of your pipes is leaking. Meanwhile, too-high water pressure can exert more pressure on your pipes, which can cause unwanted leaks on pipe joints or, worse, a burst pipe.
So always test your water pressure with a pressure gauge. This will let you know if your water pressure is too low or high. In addition, you should consider installing a pressure regulator that helps maintain the water level. With these two tools, you can better take care of your plumbing while keeping your water bills optimized.
Takeaway
Since you rely on your plumbing every single day, you should take the time to give it the necessary care and maintenance. By following the above plumbing maintenance tips, you can ensure that your pipes and all their components are in the best working conditions, prolonging their life span and saving you from the inconveniences and headaches caused by costly repairs.
