Not everyone is handy, home maintenance can be daunting for those individuals. However, there are several simple things you can do to maintain your home and prevent costly repairs. Below is a list of five simple tasks for maintenance of your plumbing system.
1. Know Your Plumbing
In the event of a plumbing emergency, you should be familiar with your plumbing system to avoid further damage. You should know where and how to turn off the water for all your water-based appliances. If there is ever a leak, turn off the water to prevent excessive leakage and reduce the amount of clean up.
In addition, you should periodically look around your home for signs of water damage and other plumbing issues and address them immediately. If water damage is not fixed, mold and mildew can grow which is poor for your health and messy.
2. Reduce Pressure
The higher your water pressure is, the more strain your pipes will experience making your pipes susceptible to a leakage because they’re over worked. You can purchase a hose bib gauge for cheap at a hardware store which is a device used to measure the pressure of your pipes.
Normal water pressure should be between 40 and 85 PSI, anything above this will cause strain on your pipes. If that is the case, it is best to hire a plumber to reduce the pressure.
3. Avoid Chemical Drain Cleaning Products
One of the most common home plumbing issues is a clogged drain. There are many chemical products available on the market that are designed to clear clogged drains. Although, these products can do more harm than good.
These chemical products can actually erode cast-iron drain pipes over time when used often. If you rely on chemical products to clear your pipes, you are likely to have a recurring issue with clogging because it is merely a quick fix.
It is worth your while to hire a plumber to remove whatever is clogging your drain because your draining will work better in the long run. If you’re feeling ambitious, you can purchase your own snake to clear the clogged drain at a hardware store.
4. Prevent Drain Clogging
Prolonged clogging of your drain puts stress on the pipes because of built up pressure of backed up water thereby shortening the lifespan of your pipes. It’s best to stop clogs from happening all together to avoid a hefty, costly repair.
To prevent clogging from happening, keep a close eye on what goes down your drain. Food scraps should be kept out of kitchen sinks and hair should be kept out of shower drains and bathroom sinks. Be sure to remove food scraps from dishes before washing them and install screens over shower and sink drains.
Grease should never be tossed down the drain, this is a common mistake. Even though the grease is hot and liquid when you pour it down the drain, it will cool and harden eventually clogging the drain.
5. Soften the Water
There are two types of water, hard water has high mineral content and soft water has low mineral content. Water with a lot of minerals flowing through your pipes can cause build ups, magnesium and calcium are common culprits, and cause water flow restriction leading to high pressure.
An indicator of hard water is white mineral buildup on your shower head and faucets where the water comes out. The only way to deal with hard water is by installing a water softener which uses sodium or electromagnetic pulses to dissolve minerals in the water before it enters your plumbing system.
If you think you have hard water in your plumbing system, it’s best to hire a plumber to assist with the installation of a water softener.
