How To Prevent Major Plumbing Problems
The plumbing in your house is essential to your living environment. When there is a problem with part of the system, it can interfere with your daily activities. A lot of plumbing issues can be prevented if the homeowner took precautions. However, many people do not do that, and they end paying a professional plumber hundreds of dollars to repair a plumbing problem that could have been prevented. Simple plumbing maintenance tasks are not rocket science. Anyone can learn them. This article will talk about several things that you should do regularly to make sure that your plumbing functions at its best capacity.
Clogged sinks are very common in homes. This is especially true in homes with small children. This may seem obvious, but you should always remind your children not to pour anything down the sink that has debris or a thick consistency without telling you first. Kitchen sinks with a garbage disposal can accommodate food debris, but even then only things that are grindable should be thrown in there.
If you have fat left over from cooking, like the fat that comes from bacon after you fry it, never pour that fat down the sink. When the fat is warm, it looks thin and runny so you think it can easily go down the drain. However, think about how it looks after it cools. It is like a gel. This fat can clog your drain if you pour it down. Therefore, never dispose of left over fat that way.
Your shower drain can be clogged by hair and soap build-up. If you notice that your water is draining slower and slower, you need to clean out your drain. Use a plumbing snake to fish out the hair. Run water down the drain to make sure that you have gotten out the debris. If you still have a clog, use a commercial drain clean. Follow the application instructions very carefully because the chemicals are very strong and cause skin irritation if not used properly. After your drain is clear, put a drain guard over your drain to catch hair during a shower. A drain guard lets water go down the drain but keeps everything else. Drain guards are very inexpensive, and they can keep your drain clog-free.
Always check under your sinks periodically to make sure no water is leaking from your drainage pipes below. As parts get old, sometimes the part where the pipe sections join becomes weak. Water can start leaking through compromised seams. The leak can start as a tiny bit of seepage at the connections. However, if that is left unfixed, the leak can develop into something bigger. As soon as you notice a leak under your sink, turn off the water and examine the sections. Try tightening the parts where two sections join. If the problem is due to crack in the pipe, you will have to replace it.
Following some of these tips will help you avoid big plumbing problems. A little effort spent on prevention can save you a lot of time and money.
