The plumbing system forms a critical part of your home. You need clean water in your bathroom, kitchen, garden, and other places to maintain health and hygiene. Still, many homeowners don’t pay enough attention to this area until something major blows up to invade their mental peace; the large bills and inability to ensure cleanliness because of the water issues suddenly become a wake-up call while these were avoidable. If you don’t want to be in the same mess as others, take plumbing health seriously. Regular checks help you detect even minor troubles that can potentially turn into something big and cause high expenses.
However, as experts point out correctly, malfunctioning plumbing fixtures don’t just indicate the chances of bigger challenges but also the wastage of money and water in between. For example, a leaking faucet in the bathroom or kitchen can only be an irritant for you until it disturbs your quiet time. But continuous leaks can cause the loss of almost one liter of water. If you count the drips, one drip a minute from a faucet can waste about 1440 drops of water a day and 34 gallons a year. Hence, from tracking small leaks to maintaining different types of plumbing appliances, you have to do it all. Here are some suggestions to guide you in this direction.
Daily Maintenance Routine
Clogging seems to be a common plumbing issue in every household. It creates a nuisance and affects the condition of waste pipes by pressurizing them. For that matter, you have to consider the case of slow drain too. If you don’t want to face any of these situations, you have to imbibe a few daily habits.
The Kitchen
Food wastes and debris can easily block kitchen sink drains. As a common practice, to avoid this situation altogether, you must not drain oil or greasy matters through the sink. These include butter, cooking oils, and fats. These tend to solidify in the pipe after a while and interrupt the smooth flow. Besides, you have to be careful about garbage disposal as it can also be a culprit. It would be best if you remember certain things.
Don’t try to dispose of fibrous foods down the disposal. Fruit and vegetable skins, leafy veggies, and others are a few examples. You can grind them before throwing. When you use the disposal, you should turn the water on before dumping food and allow the same to run for extra 15 seconds after you have used it. It will flush all the food wastes down the primary connection. If you have a dishwasher, you can use it at night to store hot water. It will also help in having excellent water flow the whole day.
The Bathroom
After installing a Kraus bathroom sink, you must be feeling proud of your choice. It is natural to have such emotions. But if you want to keep it clean all the time, you should avoid some habits. For example, you need to prevent hair from passing through the drain to dodge blockage. It may require you to be extra careful when you comb your hair in this area.
Similarly, your toilet can also stop working due to clogging. It can occur due to flushing items that you should not. To be precise, toilet papers are alright. But you can avoid dumping wipes and tampons in the toilet.
Besides, maintaining water pressure to ease the plumbing system, staying away from harmful chemical solutions for clog removal, and being conscious while using moisturizers for hair and skin can also help check blockage problems.
Weekly Maintenance Routine
You can check the pipes every week for leakage. If you notice a pool of water or water spots under the sink, you need to be wary. Musty smell or molds are some more signs of the same. Investigate sink and shower drains for fast drainage. When water drains slower than usual, the bubbles appear. Otherwise, it will swirl when passing smoothly. At the same time, you can examine water faucets to determine that the handles and valves don’t leak. Other spots for water leakage can be showerheads, improper pipe fittings, and old toilet flappers. So, look around these areas too. If you have a washing machine, remove lint from time to time.
Seasonal Maintenance Routine
Spring, summer, fall, and winter, too, can affect your home plumbing system due to changes in temperature and climate. That’s why you have to prepare them for every season to keep them in the best health. If you have a garden or lawn, you will likely use outdoor spigots and water hoses. These can work wonderfully during spring and summer. But you have to keep winter days in mind. Since these may not have any use in the cold season, you can remove the water hose from the outdoor tap to avoid pipe freezing and bursting issues. Water valves should also remain off. If there is water in the pipeline, drain it.
You can cover outdoor spigots with insulated material, readily available in home improvement stores. Make sure you have taken care of leaks and drips already before doing this. Besides, there can be pipes in the garage and crawlspace. Insulate them with heat tapes to protect them from freezing.
Similarly, during warmer months, bird nests become a challenge for outdoor plumbing systems. That’s why you need to clean downspouts and gutters off these things. You can also check the plumbing vent once. If you turn on outdoor spigots after a long time, you must pay attention to leaks and drips to get the necessary repair done on time.
Like these, there are so many areas and countless appliances that you have to care for to avoid any significant inconvenience later. Even though some problems may crop up due to uncontrollable circumstances, such as excess snowfall or storms, your preparation can help reduce the extent of the damage. As a result, you can avoid expensive repairs and associated discomforts. Some people tend to be selective in this approach. They prioritize kitchen and bathroom. While it is acceptable, you cannot deny that all plumbing connections meet at a common point. Hence, it is critical to look after everything.