While it’s the source of life, water is the enemy of a homeowner facing plumbing problems. One little mistake can lead to major water damage inside your home, which can end up costing you a small fortune to fix. Thankfully, there are many steps a homeowner can take to prevent plumbing headaches from occurring, while also minimizing problems should they happen.
If you have a water pipe that freezes, have the tap closest to it turned on so the water can exit while the pipe thaws. If there is too much pressure within the pipe, it may burst, causing other forms of damage in the home.
You should have your septic tank pumped once every five years for best performance. This will keep sediment from building and causing backup into the house, and possibly causing the septic system to fail. Getting your septic tank drained occasionally may be expensive, but it’s dirt cheap compared to the cost of repairing a damaged septic system or the cleanup cost when raw sewage backs up into your home.
Get to know the tools and how they are used for the most success in plumbing. Use manuals and online sites to get informed before doing a plumbing project yourself. Think ahead and learn everything you can before tackling a plumbing repair project. If you make things worse rather than better, you’ll have to pay expensive plumbing fees to fix the problems.
If your garbage disposal stops working, never try to fix it by reaching down with your hands. Garbage disposals can be dangerous, even if they are powered off. Try to find a diagram, or troubleshooting guide for your particular disposal on the Internet.
Position a strainer over all drains to collect any particles that would otherwise go down the drain and possibly cause a stoppage. Kitchen sink strainers should be cleaned every time they collect large food particles. Bathtubs should be equipped with strainers as well, and they too will need to be cleaned regularly.
If you have any plumbing work that needs to be done, schedule it all to be done concurrently. It can be tempting to call a plumber each time you have a minor problem, but saving plumbing work for one time allows you to put money aside for the repairs. Another reason it lowers costs is that plumbers bill per hour worked, and due to partial hour effects, doing all the work at once results in lower billable hours.
Flush your drain with a constant stream of cold water when operating your drain mounted disposal unit. Cold water helps the blades stay sharp and keeps the disposal running smoothly. Running hot water down the drain while you are using the garbage disposal can cause the drain to clog from any grease that is in there liquefying.
The keys to avoiding plumbing problems is great preparation and education. Homeowners who become knowledgeable about plumbing are better able to avoid plumbing disasters. A homeowner who knows something about plumbing can often fix issues before they become major crises.