How to Protect Your Home from a Major Plumbing Issue

Your plumbing system is one of the most important systems in your home. You may not give it much thought unless something goes wrong, but how you treat your plumbing system determines its lifespan – and how much you have to spend on major repairs.

though it has a tough job, your plumbing system isn’t designed to experience excess wear and tear. If you keep up with the minor stuff as it happens, you can save yourself a lot of stress, money, and frustration.

Don’t Neglect Your Drains

Your drains accumulate a lot of debris, especially in the kitchen. If you flush food and cooking grease down the drain on a regular basis, it’s only a matter of time before you end up with a clog.

Cooking grease is a liquid when it’s hot, but it turns back into a solid as it cools. If you flush it down when it’s still hot, it can settle in the P-trap, hardening and collecting other particles that flow down your drain and creating a clog. Worse yet, if it ends up in your sewer, it can mix with other substances and cause expensive sewer backup.

When you’re done cooking, dispose of grease in a container to let it cool, then you can toss it out with your trash. It’s a good idea to install drain traps in your sink to prevent other debris from going down your drain, including food particles.

Don’t Flush Anything but Waste and Toilet Paper

A lot of products say “flushable” when they’re not, including moist wipes and feminine hygiene products. Despite this label, these items can clog your toilet and create bigger problems. The only things that should be flushed down your toilet are waste and toilet paper, period.

If you drop something in the toilet accidentally, don’t try to flush it down. Use a plunger to dislodge and remove it. If you can’t, call a plumber to correct the issue before it clogs your toilet.

Use Natural Drain-Cleaning Solutions

If you reach for liquid drain cleaners when you have a slow drain or clogs, you could be damaging your pipes. These products are helpful for major clogs, but the corrosive chemicals degrade your pipes over time.

Instead, use a natural solution of baking soda and vinegar to clean your drains regularly. This is a gentle method that can prevent clogs from forming without harming your pipes. This solution is also good for your garbage disposal, which brings us to…

Don’t Be Hard on Your Garbage Disposal

If you have a habit of flushing every bit of food, including fibrous vegetables, corn husks, or meat, down your garbage disposal, you can damage it over time. This appliance is not designed to chop up hard foods like these. It’s only useful for catching and chopping soft food particles so they flow down your drain more easily.

Aside from avoiding hard foods in your garbage disposal, you should also run cold water when you’re running it. This will help you flush the food particles down the drain. Hot water isn’t a good choice, as it will melt grease and can gum up the blades.

Don’t Ignore a Small Drip

If you have a minor drip in your sink or shower, don’t wait until it gets more severe. This is not only annoying, but these tiny drips can cost you gallons of water each day and a higher water bill. Left alone, a small drip can quickly become a burst pipe with water damage.

If you feel comfortable, you can fix a minor drip by taking apart your faucet and cleaning the washer and rings to see if it helps. If not, call a professional to fix the leak and ensure there isn’t a bigger problem going on.

Don’t DIY Everything

Some small plumbing repairs can be done on your own, such as unclogging a toilet or fixing a minor leak, but you have to have some plumbing knowledge. If you have bigger problems, it’s best to call a professional with the training and experience to do repairs and ensure there aren’t major issues in your plumbing system. Taking on repairs on your own could make your issue worse or put your safety at risk.

Take Care of the Small Stuff

Your plumbing system is essential to your day-to-day comfort and your home’s function, but you can’t leave it be until something major goes wrong. If you keep up with the small stuff when it happens, such as slow drains, strange sounds, or a minor leak, you can save on repairs and prevent catastrophic damage in the future.

Schedule Routine Plumbing Maintenance

Like anything else, your plumbing system will thrive with regular maintenance from a professional plumber like Service Champions. Instead of keeping up with your plumbing on your own, call in a professional to inspect your system, fix small issues, and identify any budding problems when they’re easier to correct.

Do you want to extend the life of your plumbing system and prevent major issues? Contact us at Service Champions to schedule your appointment!