Owning a house comes with numerous responsibilities, including plumbing maintenance. A home needs a functional plumbing system to ensure bathing, cooking, and washing run smoothly. Unfortunately, many homeowners hardly think about their plumbing system unless there is a problem, which leads to inconveniences or high water bills.
These issues can be avoided if proactive measures are taken to keep up with the plumbing system. Here are essential plumbing maintenance tips that every homeowner should know.
Flush Right
It is hardly possible to imagine how life would be without a flush toilet. While the system is an important part of every home, many people hardly use it correctly. The toilet should only flush human waste and toilet paper; other products could cause issues with your plumbing system, such as clogs.
Plumbing issues will require the homeowner to hire plumbers to snake the system, which can be costly. If the clog is not removed on time, then this would result in a foul smell or a sewer backup.
Fix Leaks
Homeowners should make it a habit to inspect their house and plumbing system regularly for any problems. Plumbing issues such as leaks are better fixed early, or there will be lots of water waste, which will lead to increased water bills. Water leak inspection should go beyond the pipes since other plumbing systems like water heaters, washing machines, garbage disposals, and refrigerators could also leak.
Check each of them to ensure they function as expected. Note that undetected leaks could cause more complex issues like structural damage, molds, and pest infestation.
Clean Properly
Do homeowners take time to read the products used to make their cleaning products? Only a tiny percentage are keen to read the ingredients list. In fact, some prefer using toilet and drain cleaners with high chemical components because they assume they will do a better job at cleaning.
However, they fail to understand that these chemical ingredients could harm the users and the pipes. This means those using them to clean are damaging their pipes and putting their health at risk. The best cleaning products for drains and toilets are chemical-free because they will not corrode the pipes.
For homeowners unsure what to use to unclog pipes, working with plumbers is better than damaging the pipes with harsh chemicals. The plumbers will assess the situation and use safe methods that don’t affect water quality or damage pipes.
Flush Water Heater
The water heater is important in the house as it provides hot water for household chores. That means that the heater must work effectively to provide hot water, which can lead to mineral deposits being left in the system, especially in homes where they use hard water.
When these minerals collect in the system, they could cause corrosion and damage the interior walls. Over time, this could damage the water heater. This problem is preventable; all homeowners have to do is flush their water system regularly. Besides improving performance, this step could extend the life of the water heater.
Simple maintenance can greatly impact the condition of a home’s plumbing system. However, that does not mean the plumbing system will not have any problems; it might develop minor issues at some point. When this happens, homeowners need to hire licensed plumbers to fix it. If the system is well-maintained, it will be easy for the plumber to fix it quickly.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for general guidance only. Always consult a professional plumber for specific advice and services tailored to your home.
Featured image by amixstudio on freepik.