A plumbing disaster can cause an unsanitary, embarrassing, and expensive situation for you, especially if they happen when you have house guests. But did you know that most plumbing disasters are preventable? Instead of waiting for a plumbing emergency to happen, please take action to prevent them from happening in the first place. We cover everything you need to know about avoiding a plumbing disaster.
Most of us expect the appliances in our home to run properly, and most of us have at least a couple of appliances that use water, including but not limited to:
These appliances use a large amount of water. If they develop a leak, you may come home to find significant water damage to your floors or other items in your home.
You also won’t be able to continue using the appliance until you get it repaired or replaced.
Toilets are made up and held up. When your toilet develops a clog due to an excessive amount of toilet paper or other items, it can prevent others from using the toilet. If you only have one toilet in your home, that may become an emergency.
Do not flush toilet paper or diapers.
A clogged drain can lead to sewage backup in your home and slow drainage in sinks. When the clog gets bad enough, it can be impossible to use a particular sink.
Many people assume that the garbage disposal will take any waste, but you shouldn’t put fibrous vegetables, peels, shells, or coffee grounds down your garbage disposal. Clogs develop when you pour oil and grease down the drain. They can also develop due to hair, soap scum, food waste, and foreign objects.
When the clog gets bad enough, it can cause an excessive strain on your water pipes and result in a leak that results in unnecessary water waste (and charges on your water bill).
Burst pipes occur when a pipe breaks completely. Most of the time, burst pipes occur due to freezing pipes in the winter. Coldwater expands when it turns into ice. The high water pressure levels put a lot of strain on the pipe material, causing it to burst.
Burst pipes don’t cause a small amount of water damage – they cause a large amount of water damage and possible electrical outage that will require emergency plumbing services and make your home temporarily inhospitable.
Several people drink water from the tap. Therefore, you need to be able to trust the quality of the water. If you notice the water coming from your fixtures is cloudy, that’s fine. However, color with a foul odor or discolored water may indicate contaminated water you shouldn’t drink or use for cooking.
Most of the time, contaminated water occurs due to rust or iron getting in the water due to corrosion. If it’s only the hot water that appears dirty, that may be a sign of a contaminated water heater tank.
First, take steps to prevent freezing pipes.
Set your home’s heater to the appropriate minimum temperature in the winter, even if you’re away for work or vacation.
Many water heaters and heating systems come with settings to help you keep temperatures at the right place to avoid freezing.
You can also buy special freeze-proof faucets for your outside bib.
If you notice freezing pipes that aren’t damaged yet, unthaw the pipes or hire professional services to unthaw the pipes for you.
When you do notice a leak or a clog, you should take all the necessary steps to address it at its inception before it turns into a bigger problem. The longer you wait, the worse the situation will get.
If you notice a leak around the toilet or different connections in your home’s plumbing system, reapply the sealant to see if that resolves the problem.
If the leak developed due to corrosion, the damage may already be done. You may need to replace the pipes
Use an appropriate drain cleaner for a toilet clog, bathroom sink clog, or kitchen clog. However, you want to limit the use of drain cleaners as many of them contain harsh chemicals and may expedite the corrosion process.
If the clog won’t respond to drain cleaners or you want to avoid excess use of drain cleaners, you can try a drain snake. A drain snake, or auger, is an item you feed into your drain until it reaches the clog and then turns it to break up the clog at the source. You will find manual drain snakes for local clogs and powered augers for deep clogs.
Keep up on plumbing maintenance.
Many of us rely on plumbing to work, but we need to take the proper steps to ensure proper operation.
Some basic plumbing maintenance steps include:
Since most people don’t have the know-how or tools to perform proper maintenance themselves, scheduling annual or seasonal maintenance through a plumbing service may benefit you.
Most pipes last 50 – 100 years, with numerous variables playing a role in how long they last.
If you decide to replace your old pipes, you can avoid a plumbing emergency before it happens.
When picking your new pipe material, you can choose between metal and plastic. Plastic pipes are generally preferred, thanks to their cost, flexibility, strength, and resistance to corrosion.
JBK Plumbers can provide you will find the services you need to prevent plumbing emergencies. They can also help you after a plumbing emergency occurs.
Avoid plumbing emergencies with a good defense! Contact JBK Plumbers today to learn more.