You count on your plumbing system to bring clean, potable water in and carry your wastewater out. However, unless your plumbing system is having problems, you might not give it much thought. By taking a proactive approach to plumbing maintenance, you can extend the lifespans of your pipes and fixtures. You can also avoid dangerous whole-house backups, expensive plumbing repairs, and widespread water damage.
Schedule Annual Drain Cleaning Service
Schedule professional drain cleaning service each year. Although you can freshen your drains with equal parts baking soda and white vinegar or other homemade solutions, this isn’t as effective as rooting, hydro-jetting, or hydro-steaming. Professional drain cleaning sloughs off trapped waste and biofilm and flushes out silt, sediment, and sand. It will open up your pipes’ interiors and keep your wastewater flowing in the right direction.
Schedule a Whole-House Plumbing Inspection
Schedule whole-house plumbing inspections annually. These visits give plumbers the chance to look for slow and hidden leaks, assess water pressure, and verify the condition and remaining lifespans of pipes. They’re an opportunity to catch and correct minor plumbing issues before they make major messes.
Have Your Sewer Line Serviced Every 18 to 24 Months
All of your drains empty into your sewer line. If this line is crushed, clogged, or cracked, you could have a raw sewage spill into your yard or come back up into your home. During these visits, plumbers check for offset sewer pipes, heavy build-ups of debris, encroachment, corrosion, and more. As needed, your plumber can also clean your sewer line to remove hard water sediment and build-ups of grease, biofilm, and hair.
Don’t Ignore Leaky Fixtures
A single leaky faucet can cause 3,000 gallons of water waste each year. It can also leave hard water stains on the connected fixture. Although leaky faucets seem like minor problems, they add humidity to the indoor air and set the stage for mold formation. Have your leaky faucets fixed right away.
Pay Attention to Your Water Quality
Be on the lookout for tap water that’s murky, unpleasant-tasting, or foul-smelling. Backflow issues and damaged water supply lines can lead to heavily contaminated drinking water. If you’re worried about your water quality, schedule backflow testing.
Take Care of Hard Water Issues
Hard water is water with high concentrations of dissolved minerals. It can clog your pipes with heavy deposits of dissolved calcium and magnesium, stain your fixtures, and shorten the lifespans of your appliances. Hard water mineral build-ups can also decrease your water pressure. Water softeners are excellent whole-house solutions.
Look for Sudden Changes in Your Water Bill
If your water bill suddenly increases, consider scheduling a plumbing inspection. You might have a leaky water supply pipe behind your drywall or behind other building materials.
Install Drain Covers or Drain Mesh
Cover your drains. Drain covers and drain mesh prevent accidental clogs caused by things like dropped toothbrushes, shampoo bottle caps, razors, and toys.
Encourage All Residents to Practice Good Drain Care
Get everyone on board with your efforts to protect your drains. Make sure that people in your household know what and what not to send down your garbage disposal. Encourage residents to avoid flushing “flushable” self-care wipes and other slow-degrading items. The only things that anyone in your household should send down your toilets are human waste and toilet paper.
