How to Protect Your Home from a Major Plumbing Issue

Major plumbing repairs are no fun to deal with. While some repairs will occur with time and use, you can avoid huge and expensive plumbing repairs if you take care of your plumbing system before problems occur.

Find out how to take care of your plumbing and avoid major repairs. Of course, if you do have an emergency, Adeedo is always here to help.

Don’t Pour Grease Down the Drain

Your kitchen sink takes a lot of abuse. If you’re rinsing food particles and cooking grease down your drain, you can expect to deal with gross and stubborn clogs. You see, grease is only liquid while it’s hot. As it cools, it hardens, getting stuck in the P-trap and gathering food and debris that flows down the drain.

When you’re finished cooking, dispose of your cooking grease by pouring it into a bowl or container. Once it hardens, you can toss in the trash like other food waste. It’s also a good idea to install a drain trap to keep small food particles or a little excess grease from ending up in your drain.

Don’t Flush Anything but Waste and Toilet Paper

The toilet is only designed to dispose of human waste and toilet paper, nothing else. Many products say they’re flushable, such as cotton swaps and baby wipes, but they still shouldn’t be in your toilet. Over time, these can get stuck and cause a clog.

If you accidentally drop something in the toilet, don’t trust to flush it away. Use a plunger to dislodge it and take it out, or call a plumber to correct the problem. Be sure to speak with your family about what can and can’t go down the toilet as well to prevent future clogs.

Don’t Ignore a Dripping Faucet

If your faucet in your sink or shower is dripping, don’t leave it be. Even a slow drip can cost you a lot of money in wasted water – often gallons of it. Worse yet, if you leave a drip go, it could cause a burst pipe and water damage.

Plumbing Leak meme
If you have the know-how, you can try to fix the drip on your own. Turn off the water supply, disassemble the faucet, and clean or replace the washer and rings. If the problem continues, call a plumber to check over your system and fix the leak.

Stop Using Chemical Drain Cleaners

Most homeowners are guilty of reaching for a chemical drain cleaner when there’s a slow drain or a clog, but that’s the worst thing you can do. These cleaners have corrosive chemicals that will remove the clog, but they can damage your pipes in the process.

It’s better to use natural solutions on a regular basis to keep your drains clean. Baking soda and vinegar are particularly effective at removing residue and preventing clogs, even if you have a slow drain. If you do end up with a clog, call a plumber to fix it without liquid drain cleaners.

Take Care of Your Garbage Disposal

Your garbage disposal isn’t designed to take everything you put into it. You can use it for soft foods, but avoid putting animal bones, meat, or fibrous vegetables into it as they can damage the blades. Animal fat can also gum up the blades and damage your garbage disposal.

garbage disposal

Even if you have nothing to grind up, you should run your garbage disposal regularly to keep it functioning properly. Always use cold water to help flush down particles. Hot water will melt fat, leading to buildup in your blades. You can take your garbage disposal apart to clean it, but it’s better to keep buildup from happening with regular rinses of baking soda and vinegar.

Be Careful with DIY Repairs

Some things are fine for the DIYer to take on, such as a slow drip or a hair clog in your shower. But if you don’t have plumbing knowledge, avoid taking on major repairs that could be caused by something serious.

Plumbers having specialized training and equipment to deal with these problems. If you don’t know what you’re doing, you could make the problem worse or even end up injured in the process.

Keep Up with Small Repairs

It may be tempting to ignore small problems until they require your attention, but that just means more money and inconvenience. It’s better to call a plumber to address small issues like strange noises, a sudden drop in water pressure, or a small drip before they become serious.

Schedule Routine Maintenance

Your plumbing system needs routine maintenance like anything else. When you have a plumber check over your system on a regular basis, you can identify small problems and fix them when it’s most convenient – and pay less for repairs – than if you wait until they’re an emergency.

Do you need plumbing repairs? Contact the pros at Adeedo to schedule your appointment!

 

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