3 Ways to Avoid Damaging Your Plumbing System
When you turn the handle on a faucet or turn on your washing machine, you expect to be greeted by a flow of clean, clear water. You also expect that water to drain away when you’re done with it. If you’re not careful, though, you could be unknowingly damaging the plumbing system in your Niles home, meaning that these functions you expect won’t be available when you need them. Therefore, it’s important to protect your home’s plumbing system using these easy tips from A To Z Dependable Services.
1. Don’t Perform Repairs Yourself
To a certain extent, plumbing repairs are do-it-yourself jobs. After all, if you had to call A To Z Dependable Services every time your toilet had a clog, that’s pretty much all you would have time for. However, the problem is that many individuals take their ability to do basic repairs and project that ability onto more advanced repairs. Whether it’s clearing a drain line, stopping a major leak or installing a complicated plumbing fixture, it’s easy for ambitious do-it-yourselfers to get in over their head.
In general, if a plumbing repair requires tools other than what you already have on hand, you should probably call in some professional assistance. If you perform a repair incorrectly, you could experience a runaway leak that could do major damage to your home or yard. While you can do some preliminary work on your own, it’s important to ask for help if you realize a particular repair is outside your comfort zone.
2. Limit What You Put Down the Drain
Another common way that people sabotage their own plumbing system is by putting items down the drain that should go in the trash instead. For example, the only item that should go in a toilet besides human waste is toilet paper — not facial tissues, not wipes, not hygiene products — only toilet paper. Anything other than toilet paper could clog your toilet or hang out in your drain pipe until you run into major issues.
Kitchen sink drains are another overused drain. It’s important to understand that a sink drain is not a garbage can. Even if you have a garbage disposal, only certain items can be safely put down the drain. Anything that can break down — scraps from fruits, vegetables, meat scraps and other similar items — can be sent down the drain as long as they go through a garbage disposal first.
However, items that stick around, such as coffee grounds, honey, eggshells and expired medications, need to be placed in the garbage. Especially dangerous to put down the drain is fat of any kind. This is because the fat will congeal in the drain, effectively reducing the size of the pipe. If you’re ever in doubt about a certain item, it’s best to err on the side of caution and throw it away.
3. Take Proper Precautions When It’s Cold
The winters in Niles can get quite cold. If your home’s plumbing system isn’t properly protected, the extreme temperatures could cause major problems. That’s why at A To Z Dependable Services, we recommend homeowners take several precautions as the temperatures fall.
To help protect your outdoor spigots, make sure to remove all garden hoses, and then turn off the water supply to the spigots. Leave the spigots in the open position so that any excess water can drain away. On the inside, make sure to wrap any pipes that travel through uninsulated portions of your home. For smaller pipes, you can utilize foam jackets with an adhesive strip that runs along the length of the jacket. For larger pipes, such as drainpipes, you can use spiral-wrap insulation to help prevent the pipes from freezing.
If the weather is going to be exceptionally cold, make sure to leave at least one faucet dripping during the night so that the water in the pipes keeps moving. You may also want to open cabinet doors so that warm air can circulate around the pipes to ensure you don’t wake up to a major mess caused by frozen pipes.
We Take Your Comfort Seriously
When it comes to home comfort, the professionals at A To Z Dependable Services work hard to achieve excellent results every time. Whether we’re performing drain cleaning, high-pressure jetting, septic tank services, bathroom remodeling, HVAC repair, installations or maintenance in your Niles home, you can be sure that we won’t stop until you’re completely satisfied. This constant dedication has allowed us to thrive for 60 years, earning countless five-star reviews along the way. For more tips on how to protect your home’s plumbing system, contact us at A To Z Dependable Services today.
