As a new homeowner, it can be difficult to get the hang of your plumbing system. If you were renting before you purchased your first home, there is a good chance that your landlord or property manager took over all the maintenance of your plumbing system. Now, though, the plumbing system is in your hands. It is your sole responsibility to make sure that your plumbing is working efficiently. If it isn’t, you need to take measures to make sure the pipes are flowing. When it comes down to it, if your plumbing system is not maintained, it could negatively affect the value of your home. Here is some plumbing advice for newbies.
- Don’t flush large items down your drains or toilets. It doesn’t matter if you are renting or if you own your home, it is critical that you don’t flush large items down your drains. These items can get stuck and cause a clog. If you flush a large fruit pit down your kitchen sink, it could become permanently clogged, which will require you to hire a plumber to remove it. This can be expensive and time consuming.
- Make sure to discard cooking grease and oils properly. After you cook a big meal, you want to wait for the cooking oil or grease to cool before you put it in a container that can be tossed away. The last thing you want to do is flush the grease and cooking oil down the drain, because that could cause a clog. Overtime, the oil and grease can congeal – not unlike a clogged artery.
- Protect your pipes from freezing in the winter. In the wintertime, your pipes are particularly vulnerable to freezing. When this happens, the ice can build up and expand to the point where it literally ruptures the pipe. When the pipe ruptures, whatever was flowing through the pipe will be all over your home. If it is a sewage pipe, this could present a serious problem that may force you to leave your home until the issue is fixed. One of the best ways to prevent freezing is to flush warm water down the drain.
- Have your pipes inspected on an annual basis. As a homeowner, you want to have your pipes inspected on an annual basis. The last thing you want is to miss a leak or another vulnerable area. When it comes down to it, fixing problems before they become bigger issues is critical and the number one way to save money and time. You can usually call on the services of a plumbing company, like Lakewood Plumber, to inspect your plumbing system.
- Make sure to seal leaks and other vulnerabilities before they get out of hand. If you do see leaks, you want to seal them right away. You don’t necessarily need a plumber to seal minor leaks. You can use a wrench to tighten pipes and you can place plumbing tape over small leaks. In the end, a small leak could be costing you a lot of money, so you want to seal leaks whenever you catch them.
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