Everyday Plumbing Reminders for Homeowners

Your plumbing system comprises 15% of your home’s value. A properly functioning plumbing system is essential to a healthy life and it boosts the convenience of daily living.

Because it keeps our homes and families clean and healthy, having an efficient plumbing system is an investment in itself. Smooth plumbing provides the following benefits:

• Access to fresh and clean water in times of drought and shortages.
• Investing in water-saving devices improves water efficiency and energy savings.
• Modern plumbing increases home life convenience.

As a way of protecting such investment, it’s important for homeowners to maintain their plumbing systems every day. Observing best practices in plumbing maintenance helps keep clean water flowing in, flushing waste out, and preventing minor plumbing issues from turning into huge and costly problems later.

To prevent plumbing emergencies, take note of these maintenance tips to help keep your water moving through your pipes and going out of your home.

Kitchen Plumbing Maintenance

Clogging often happens in kitchen drains because of food wastes or debris that get caught in pipes. To prevent blockages in your kitchen drains, never pour oils or grease down the sink. Cooking oils and fats are the number one cause of drain clogs; they can congeal the pipes and obstruct water flow. Another contributor to kitchen drain clogging is improper garbage disposal.

Keep these kitchen plumbing maintenance tips in mind to avoid this problem:

• Before adding food, turn your disposal and water on.
• Avoid putting fibrous food wastes down the disposal. Examples of these wastes are potato peels, banana peels, celery, and other wastes that are hard to grind.
• After using the disposal, make sure to run the cold water for at least 15 seconds. Doing so allows the food wastes to get flushed down the mainline.
• Run your dishwasher at night to conserve hot water and maintain good water pressure throughout the day.

Bathroom Plumbing Maintenance

Do you often experience clogging problems in your bathroom? You can minimize clogs and avoid them by following these tips:

• Reduce the use of bath oils to keep your shower and sink drains flowing freely.
• Install screens over your drains to stop hair stands from going directly to the drains.
• Don’t turn your toilet into a trash can. Avoid flushing your tissue, wipes, and feminine hygiene products into your toilet.
• To maintain the right water pressure and hot water for the entire day, wait for 10 minutes between every shower. This reduces stress on your plumbing system.
• Never use chemical products to remove clogs! These products are harmful and they cause pipe corrosion.
• Be mindful of soap, moisturizers, and conditioners. Most of these contain oil and grease; once they go down the drain, they cling to pipes, encouraging blockage.

Weekly Maintenance Tips

Ideally, homeowners should check on their plumbing system once a week. This is a great precautionary measure to prevent small issues from snowballing into major plumbing emergencies. Below are some weekly plumbing maintenance reminders:

1.Test your shower drains and sinks for drainage or speed. If bubbles form as the water drains instead of swirling smoothly down, the pipes may be clogged.

2.Turn on every faucet in your home. There shouldn’t be any trace of water coming out of the handles and/or valves.

3.Clean your washing machine’s lint traps.

4.Inspect possible leaks. Check under sinks for traces of moisture, like a musty smell, watermarks, puddles, and mould growth. Here’s a guide on how to detect leaks before calling a professional plumbing company to do the job.

Minor leaks can lead to the wastage of up to a trillion gallons of water a year? You can detect leaks by checking on the most common areas in the plumbing system where leaks can occur which are:

• Faucets
• Pipe valves
• Showerheads
• Toilet flappers
• Pipe fittings

You can easily address leak issues by replacing the problematic fixture. Tackle the problem right away before they could result in expensive water bills later on.

Spring Plumbing Maintenance

As you begin your spring cleaning, take time to also do some plumbing maintenance to avoid plumbing emergencies down the road.

Indoors:

Smooth-functioning drains are important for effective indoor plumbing in spring. Check all your drains for hiccups and if you spot a problem, seek the services of a local plumbing company as soon as possible. Here are some maintenance tips you can follow:

1. Check for slow leaks by taking a water meter reading. Do not use your water for a few hours. If your meter reading changes within those hours, you may have a leak.
2. Inspect all pipes for signs of leaks. If you notice puddles or watermarks, call a plumbing company to fix your pipes.
3. Check drains you don’t use regularly. Pour a gallon of water down the drains to fill the trap. This also prevents odours from sneaking into your home. Have your slow-moving drains snaked by your plumber.
4. Inspect your toilet bowl and tank for possible leaks.

Outdoors

With warmer temperature comes increased bird activity. Birds build their nests in different places which can increase the chances of flooding as the snow thaws. Here’s a list of reminders for outdoor plumbing maintenance:

1. Check for bird nests in your plumbing vents.
2. Clean your gutters and downspouts. Remove any nests.
3. Switch on your outdoor spigots and ensure they don’t leak. In the instance of leaks or drips, have them repaired immediately.

Summer Plumbing Maintenance

The summer season is the best time to inspect your septic system. The weather warms the ground which makes it easier for plumbers to inspect. One of the potential problems to check for is a blockage in your main sewer line or a sewer back up problem. The latter is a serious problem that requires expert help. Follow the maintenance tips below to prevent the problem:

1. If needed, have your septic system pumped. Your plumber can determine the right time to pump upon inspection.
2. Remove trees with roots growing near your septic system to avoid plumbing problems in the future.
3. If tree roots are causing regular problems, consider having your sewer main snaked.
4. If you use an embedded sprinkler system, clean the heads and make sure they are in proper working order. This reduces the risk of damaging them when mowing the lawn.
5. Check signs of leakage and other damage to your lawn’s irrigation system. Make sure your garden hoses are not damaged. Your hoses might have cracked during winter resulting in leakage.

Contact Your Local Plumber for Help

You don’t need to wade through plumbing maintenance and repairs on your own. Your local plumber can give you a hand in ensuring your plumbing system at home is working efficiently. Entrust your system to a plumber when you have any problems or questions. In addition to fixing your plumbing woes, they can also offer ideas and recommend ways to minimize your utility costs.

Local plumbers like Plumbing Authority can assist you with any plumbing needs you may have. Plumbing Authority provides a variety of plumbing services for Newmarket and Caledon homeowners.

Get your home plumbing system checked and give it the proper maintenance it deserves. Follow the maintenance reminders above to keep your system running smoothly at all times. Avoid fixing complex plumbing emergencies on your own to prevent problems from worsening. Contact a licensed plumber who understands how a plumbing system works. They are trained and equipped to diagnose and repair problems correctly.

If you need help, call the experts at Plumbing Authority at (647) 992-7473 or send us an instant message. No plumbing issue is too big for us to handle. We provide plumbing emergency services 24/7.