The plumbing system of your house is an intricate system of pipelines that bring in fresh water and carry away the water that you use in your bathroom, kitchen, garden, and laundry.
Plumbing problems are common and every homeowner faces plumbing problems from time to time. As the house ages, more plumbing problems begin to surface because the plumbing system gets old. The average life of the plumbing system can vary from 20 years to 100 years. The life of your house’s plumbing system also depends on how well you maintain it.
Unfortunately, we take the plumbing system for granted and never think about how we can avoid damaging it. By avoiding some common mistakes that lead to clogged pipelines, leaks, and rusting, you can make your plumbing system last much longer than its anticipated lifetime.
Here are some tips that will help you avoid the headache of plumbing problems:
- Don’t Flush Everything
The toilet bowl is not a trash can. If you often throw earbuds, cotton balls, hair, small wrappers, and sanitary products into your toilet, you need to stop doing that. Put a trash can near your toilet and throw that stuff in the trash can. You can only flush human waste and toilet paper down the sewer. Throwing hair into the toilet can lead to the nastiest clogs that can cost hundreds of dollars to repair.
- Fix Leaking Toilet Tanks
Leaking tanks are the most common leaks that can drive up your water bill and waste thousands of gallons of water a year. If you suspect that your toilet tank is leaking, add some food coloring into the toilet tank and wait a few minutes. If without flushing, the color is visible in the toilet bowl, you have a tank leak that needs to be repaired.
The most common cause of toilet leaks is a worn-out toilet flapper. You can replace it yourself if you have basic repair skills or call a professional to ensure it doesn’t leak again.
- Inspect the Exposed Water Pipes Yourself
Inspecting the exposed pipes can sometimes save the plumbing system from more damage and costly repairs. Check the pipes under the basins and drain pipes outside the house. If you see mold or water stains on drywall, it might be caused by an internal pipeline leak. Check your washing machine and water heater for leakage as well.
- Clean Showerheads and Faucets Regularly
If you are using hard water in your house, it might lead to buildup in showerheads and faucets. To avoid build-ups that might require you to replace a faucet or showerhead, it is recommended to clean them from time to time as you notice a decrease in water pressure. Less sediment is easier to remove regularly and can save you the expense of replacing sanitary items in the long run.
To clean a showerhead or showerhead, unscrew and remove it. Fill a bowl with vinegar and soak the faucet or showerhead in the bowl for up to 24 hours. Take an old toothbrush to brush off the mineral deposits. Wash with water to remove the vinegar thoroughly as leaving vinegar can lead to rust.
- Stop Toilets from Overflowing
Toilets can overflow or the water level might rise when you flush items that are not meant to go down the toilet drain. Flushing too much toilet paper at once can also clog a toilet. Clogged toilets should be taken care of as soon as possible. Turn off the water supply to the toilet tank and come back to it. Put some vinegar and baking soda into the drain and wait half an hour, if the clog doesn’t dissipate, call a professional plumber.
- Clear Mineral Build up in the Water Heater
Mineral sediments accumulate at the bottom and on the walls of the water heater when the water warms up. Flushing out water will bring out a lot of loose layers of sediments. Sediments staying inside your water heater can clog its pipes and cause it to rust. Getting it cleaned with chemicals from inside can also help get rid of the sediments. Changing the anode every five years can also prolong the life of your water heater.
- Avoid Things from Going Down the Drain
To keep the plumbing system working, it is important to avoid letting small things such as hair, soap, plastic pieces, and sanitary products get down the drain. Install mesh covers on every drain in your house and remove hair that gets collected on the mesh regularly.
- Get Leaks Fixed Regularly
Leaks not only cost you a higher water bill but can lead to more damage that can cost you thousands of dollars in repair. Leaks in drywall can be bad for the structural integrity of the house and can cause foul smells and molds. Therefore, underground water leaks and small water leaks under the sinks, and leaking faucets should be taken care of as soon as possible.
- Annual Inspection
Houses that are more than 25 years old are at higher risks of leaks and plumbing system faults as the system begins to deteriorate after a certain period. It is therefore recommended to at least have a full house plumbing system inspected annually to catch problems before they cause more damage.
Your house’s plumbing system is probably one of those things that you often take for granted until a problem comes up and causes some annoyance. Proper maintenance can help you save money in the long run. Plumbing problems such as rusting of pipes and underground leakages don’t happen at once. There are usually signs that homeowners ignore that lead to bigger problems later. You’ll be surprised to know that by only being more diligent about these problems, you can keep your plumbing system in good shape beyond its lifetime.
Lastly, your plumbing system is as good as the plumbing expert who installed it or is responsible for its maintenance. If you need help just contact the professional from Garden Grove Plumber to handle all the problems related to the house’s plumbing system.