5 Easy Ways to Prevent Plumbing Problems
“An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure when it comes to plumbing.” The chances are that you might have read this quote many times in your life but never had the slightest idea that you could apply it on your house’s plumbing health.
The plumbing in your house is a complex network of water and sewer pipes that work together and run through your walls to deliver hot and cold water and eliminate your waste upon the flush of a lever. Paying attention and looking for plumbing warning signs can make your plumbing systems and units last longer and potentially save you and your family from a plumping disaster that could cause significant costly damage.
Here are some plumbing warning signs and symptoms to pay attention to and some ways to avoid or resolve major plumbing problems before they even surface.
Five Plumbing Maintenance Tips to Avoid Costly Repairs
Keep an Eye on Water Pressure
After a hard day at work, many family members enjoy a nice long high-pressure hot shower. The thing that we do not know is that if the pressure is too high, our interior pipes can receive excessive impact, which makes our home’s pipe joints, faucets and appliance valves work harder. In order to avoid this, you can measure your water pressure with a hose bib gauge which is readily available at Lowe’s or Home Depot, or Amazon for under $10. Normal pressure should register between 40 and 85 pounds per square inch (psi). If pressure is above the normal range, consider installation of a pressure reducer and give our plumbers a call or text
Prevent Clogging Beforehand
Clogs obviously prevent water from draining and your sink or tub from being used. The backed up water also places unnecessary stress on your water pipes. Such pressure will eventually shorten lifespan of your home’s water pipes.
To avoid clogs, do the following:
- Watch carefully what goes down your drain
- Install screens or guards over drains in showers and tubs.
- Scrape food into the trash before doing dishes and never put liquid grease down the drain. Pour it into a sealable container for proper disposal.
Keep Tank Clean
When you flush your toilet, water travels from the tank at the back of the toilet to refill the bowl. You need to make sure that your water tank remains clean in order to avoid any buildup like metal stains, bacteria, mold, mineral deposits, and mildew over time. When your tank is dirty, the unclean water feeds directly into your toilet bowl, making it difficult to clean and maintain. You can avoid this problem through cleaning beforehand. Draining the tank and using vinegar is a good way to combat the buildup in your toilet tank.
Toilet Maintenance Check-ups
Toilets like any other plumbing fixtures are prone to leakages and the hard part in the equation is that it’s not always easy to detect. The tank is a good place to start you maintenance check-up. In most cases the culprit for leakage is a faulty flapper. The flapper is a rubber cover at the bottom of the tank that permits the tank to fill and release water. Being in water all day long eventually wears down the rubber and loosens the seal.
One way to check that whether the flapper is faulty or not is to add a few drops of food coloring in the tank and leave it overnight. If you find color in your toilet’s bowl next morning then make sure you have your local plumber replace the flap. For do it yourselfers, you may buy a kit from Amazon or your local hardware store. Fixing the flap will save on your water usage and associated bill.
Keep the Bowl Clean
It’s always a good idea for hygiene and germ prevention to maintain a clean toilet bowl but it should not be the only reason that compels you to do this job regularly. Cleaning the bowl keeps it free of corrosion and prevents clogging. The best way to clean a toilet bowl is to focus on the siphon jets. These jets are best cleaned with a mixture of vinegar, baking soda, and water.
Fix It All Plumbing is committed to providing you with premium plumbing services at fair rates in the Nashville area. Our plumbers are glad to help you with any plumbing questions or issues.
Call or text us at (615) 568-5051
Your Nashville Plumber,
Kevin Sipes