By:pablo
Shared by: Don Zilleri
Bids By Pros moderator
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, one in 10 homes have leaks that waste more than 90 gallons of water per day. In just one month, each of these homes waste 2,700 gallons of water—talk about throwing money down the drain!
Homeowners often take the plumbing in their homes for granted, until it stops working correctly. We all rely on our plumbing systems for our daily lives, and keeping them in working order should be attended to on a regular basis. The following tips will help you maintain working plumbing throughout your home and keep you from making common home plumbing mistakes.
Be Aware
The first plumbing mistake most homeowners make is not knowing enough about the different plumbing components in their homes. You should be aware of your home’s plumbing system and fixtures, including how to shut water off completely, how the different parts of a home’s plumbing are connected and the general age of pipes and fixtures. Awareness is the first step toward proper plumbing care.
Garbage Disposals
The garbage disposal tucked beneath your kitchen sink is not the food scrap black hole you may believe it to be. Garbage disposals are meant to grind small grit and debris from dishes, pots and pans. They are not, however, designed to dispose of food scraps on a regular basis. Deposit your leftover food, especially vegetable and meat trimmings, in the garbage. If you do allow food scraps to fall into the disposal, run the engine immediately until the scraps are fully liquefied and drained. Do not wait until the garbage disposal is full to run it.
Oil and Grease
Once it has cooled, oil or grease solidifies into a drain- and pipe-clogging gunk that can cause serious drainage problems within your kitchen’s plumbing. Moreover, hot grease or oil can damage nonmetal components in sinks, like rubber drain guards. Instead of pouring spent grease down the kitchen sink, wait for it to cool, place it in a lidded container and take it out with the trash.
Water Heater
Anyone who enjoys a hot shower in the morning should be aware of the maintenance needs of their home’s water heater. Once per year, your water heater needs to be flushed and checked thoroughly for signs of rust. If you skip this simple maintenance routine, your water heater may break down. In some cases, it may even need to be replaced. Water heaters aren’t cheap; it costs several hundred dollars to replace one. Furthermore, you may not have hot water for several days if you need a replacement heater.
Professional Assistance
As a homeowner, you need to know the limitations of your plumbing abilities. Before you start a complicated or long-term plumbing project, you should consult with a professional. The cost of a professional plumber is often less than the cost of a botched repair job that you tried to conduct on your own. If you think a plumbing problem in your home is beyond your skill set, find a reputable plumber in your area to assist you.
Safe and thoughtful habits, routine maintenance checks and the ability to ask for professional assistance when needed will help you avoid the potentially expensive inconvenience of your home’s plumbing falling into disrepair.
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As a master plumber, Pablo has helped many property owners with water heater and appliance installation. At Texas Power Plumbing, he uses his expertise to maintain and repair plumbing systems.
