Being a homeowner comes with a long to-do list when it comes to routine maintenance all around the house. From keeping the garden neat through having a stylish interior all the way to making sure your wiring and plumbing are safe and up-to-date, there’s a lot on your plate. Naturally, that can result in neglecting pressing issues just because they are not right in front of your eyes. But just because you can’t see your plumbing, doesn’t mean you do not have to think about it because should you ignore the warning signs, you’ll end up with a potential flood and stellar repair bills on your hands very soon. However, with enough forethought and by following a few simple suggestions, you can avert such scenarios with ease and enjoy your home with no worries.
Before immediately jumping onto larger plumbing issues, we should tackle small nuisances that might be costing you more than you think. We are talking about leaky faucets. Besides annoying, they also add to your water bills quite a lot, not to mention that they mean that something needs to be fixed or replaced. These are usually small fixes so you don’t have to panic, but it’s better to get them done as soon as you can. Needless to say, other small problems should be tackled as soon as possible too before they get out of hand.
However, your efforts at keeping things in order will not do much if you have several bad habits that might harm your plumbing. An essential plumbing maintenance tip that is entirely in your hands is paying attention to what goes down the drain, both in the kitchen and in the bathroom. First of all, make sure that each drain in your house is protected by a mesh drain cover that will prevent larger things from going down your drain. But that still does not mean you can jump dump everything in your kitchen sink. For instance, grease can cause quite big problems, if not in your drain then further down the line in the sewers, so you should always dispose of it in the trash. The same goes for hair in the bathroom. Sticking together with grease and other dirt in the drains, hair can cause serious blockages, so try to prevent it from going down if you can.
If you notice that the water takes longer than usual to go down the drain, or there are odd sounds and unpleasant smell coming from the drain, you might have a blocked drain issue on your hands. You can try using a plunger for a smaller issue, but you should refrain from chemical drain cleaners. These contain very harsh chemicals that might harm your pipes while doing their job, not to mention how harmful they are for the environment. Instead, you can try homemade solutions such as baking soda and vinegar. If your DIY solution is not yielding results or if the problem persists for a longer time, chances are you need professional aid. Thankfully, experts know how to deal with blocked drains even when the issue is located deeper, as they have tools such as plumber’s snakes and electric eels.
While the maintenance of your plumbing might not be a hot bathroom trend, it is a necessity. First of all, the state and age of your existing pipes should be evaluated. In case something is not in good condition anymore, it’s better to prevent a disaster from happening by acting on time and having it replaced. Moreover, if winters tend to be on the colder side where you live, consider winterizing your plumbing as freezing temperatures can really wreak havoc. Finally, your water heater is also an essential part of your plumbing, so make sure you don’t leave it out of the maintenance, but drain and flush it a few times a year to avoid too much sediment and compromised efficiency.
If you own a garden, you are a lucky person, but it also comes with even more maintenance tasks to tackle. One of them should be making sure that your yard doesn’t get flooded either by having appropriate drainage systems in place. Moreover, make sure that your outdoor drains are protected with covers too, and that you clear dirt and debris from blocking them regularly.
As you can see, with a few preventive steps, such as making sure that no materials that can be harmful to your pipes go down the drain, you can already achieve a lot in terms of plumbing maintenance. Nevertheless, if problems do occur, it’s best to call in experts as you don’t want to cause even more damage.
