Plumbing Maintenance Tips

Plumbing maintenance can get complicated when you own your own home.  Making sure everything is running smoothly is vital for the household.  Don’t hesitate to call a professional if you feel you DO need help.  In the meantime the following are a few useful tips for plumbing maintenance:

Avoid Chemical Products

All homeowners dread clogged drains, one of the most common home plumbing problems known to homeowners around the globe. Cleaning the drains requires products which are toxic and acidic to cut through the blockages. But beware that, chemical based products can end up doing more harm than good.

Chemical products can erode your iron pipelines and since the entire clog isn’t cleared, the problem keeps re-occurring, making you use the product again. This causes your pipes to erode away a day at a time till you need a major plumbing job that will cost you a huge sum of money.

A better option is to hire a plumber and have him remove the clog manually, or even try to do it yourself. This way you won’t be damaging your drain lines.

Preventing clogs

Clogs don’t simply create nuisances for people living inside the home. They also present potential for damage, as water gets backed up, creating pressure in the pipelines. Ultimately, the stress significantly reduces its lifespan. Therefore, try to avoid putting things in the drainage that can potentially create congestions in your drainage system.

Try installing screens in the drains and pull out any hair to prevent build-ups. Throw food scraps into the trash before doing the dishes. And most importantly, never pour liquid grease in the drains because once it cools down, it becomes solid and blocks your drainage system.

Reduce the Water Pressure

We know how amazing high water pressure can be, especially while taking a warm shower. However, a high water pressure can drastically lower the life of your drainage lines because the increased pressure strains the pipes increasing the likelihood of leakages.

You can use a bib gauge to measure your water pressure. A normal pressure would gauge at around 40 to 80 psi. A pressure higher than the mentioned water pressure will adversely affect your drainage system.

Mineral Content in Your Water Supply

Water can be hard or soft depending on the mineral content in the water. A high mineral content is known as hard water, which can significantly reduce your drainage system’s life. Minerals such as calcium and magnesium can build up in the pipes lines over time and restrict the natural flow of the water, causing the pressure to increase. It can also damage your faucets, fittings, and joints.

By law, municipal water services must file an annual report regarding the quality of the water supply. This makes it quite easy to investigate the hardness of your water. Another sign of hard water is the white buildup on faucets and showerheads. The only way to deal with hard water is by adding sodium, which can effectively counteract the minerals in your water. Simply install a sodium-based water softener. Another alternative is an electronic softener which dissolves minerals using electromagnetic pulses. This has the advantage of not adding sodium to your water supply.

Water Tank and Sewer lines

Make sure to get your water tank or septic tank pumped every three years. You can also clear out your main sewage lines to make sure there are no backups, which occur over time.

Follow these few tips and you’ll have peace of mind that you’ve done everything you could to prolong the life of your home’s drainage system, and hopefully, you wouldn’t be bothered by any unexpected problems.

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