Just like any sort of appliance in your home, your plumbing system suffers wear and tear over time. Although the pipes and drains of a plumbing system are designed for durability, they still require regular care to keep them from aging too rapidly and needing numerous repairs and replacements. Qualified plumbers can help you keep your plumbing in the best shape possible through regular maintenance visits.
Even if you have a recently installed plumbing system with corrosion-resistant copper and PEX (cross-linked polyethylene) or CPVC (chlorinated polyvinyl chloride) piping, you should schedule maintenance once a year.
Plumbing maintenance encompasses more than checking to see if your pipes have leaks or are suffering from corrosion. Maintenance also includes the major appliances you use on a daily basis, which can undergo significant stress during a year.
For example, your water heater is part of regular plumbing maintenance, and water heaters must have yearly inspections and tune-ups to make sure they work efficiently and correctly. You’ll need a new water heater long before you need new pipes, and maintenance technicians will be able to identify when it’s time to retire your current water heater.
Here are some preventative maintenance tips you can use:
Fix leaking faucets and showerheads. Dripping faucets can waste a lot of water and that can add to your bill. And if you don’t fix a dripping faucet or showerhead, the drip will get worse as time passes. Those problems could cause water damage. To avoid challenges, check your facets frequently for leakages and make maintenance as needed. Examine the handles to be sure no drinking water drips when the handles will be considered the off situation and check within the sinks for water staining or drips when the drinking water is running.
Unclog sluggish drains. When the drinking water is sluggish to drain there could be a trouble. Before it gets beyond control, use a homemade combination of vinegar and warm water to flush down the drain and unclog any particles. This preventative maintenance idea can be carried out every few weeks and can get the drain moving again.
Check all uncovered pipes and kitchen appliances for water leakages. Your disposal, refrigerator, or hot water heater can end up being the way to obtain a leak. Appear at any manufacturer’s requirements for keeping your kitchen appliances. Watch for obvious symptoms of a leak such as for example water stains on wall space and ceilings, or puddles of drinking water. Also be skeptical of mildew. Installing a drip tray underneath your water heater and washing machine can help limit damage if a leak were to occur.
Fix leaking toilets. Sometimes a faulty seal around the valve seat can cause your toilet to run even when it is not flushed. Over time, gunk will form around the valve seat and flapper. This gunk will prevent the flapper to seal properly, which will cause the water to continue to run. Another problem could be with the handle or tank stopper. The repair that is needed is often quick and economical maintenance.
Be careful everything you flush or pour down the drain! The trouble with drains and toilets can be that so a lot of things will get flushed down them. The simplest way to prevent problems with your pipes is to be careful what you flush or pour down them to begin with. Don’t flush anything other than toilet paper and human waste down the toilet. Don’t pour whatever could be reactive down the drain.
Check the drinking water pressure. Drinking water pressure is just how much power is appearing out of your faucets and shower heads. You can attempt the drinking water pressure on your program with a pressure gauge to be sure it really is at a secure level. An added preventative measure can be to include a pressure regulator to keep up your drinking water pressure at a secure level.
Remove and tidy your shower mind of any sediment that may include accumulated. This can enhance the drinking water pressure of your shower mind.
Drain your hot water heater to remove sediment yearly to semi-annually. As time passes your water heater will get sediment in it and be less effective.
Look in the burner chamber of your hot water heater. You shouldn’t find any flakes of corrosion within the chamber. And verify the flame of the hot water heater is usually a blue color without signs of yellowish in the flame. If you visit a yellow color, this might imply that the jets should be cleaned.
Examine the hoses for symptoms of cracks, brittleness, or leaking. Substitute your hoses as needed.
When you have a septic container, you ought to have it frequently inspected. Put pumping your septic container to your list as an important part of maintenance.
In case you have a sewer system, it is good to understand how your lines run and inspect for tree roots that could potentially damage your sewer lines. A preventative measure would be to have your sewer lines snaked periodically to avoid clogging.
Another reason for having plumbing maintenance done annually is usually that the consequences of failures in the water line or the sewer line can be immense. These are problems you want to avoid if at all possible, since they can cause damage to your home and the repair work can often be extensive.
Regular maintenance will catch small problems with either the water line or the sewer line on your property before they become large problems.
You can also purchase a water alarm and simply place the alarm next to a potential leak source. The alarm will give off a high-pitched sound when it comes into contact with water, much like a smoke cigarettes detector when there is a fire.
A qualified plumbing contractor will check your water heater, faucets, supply line, shut-off valves, toilets, drains, and home appliances such as washing machines and sump pumps. They will search for corrosion, leaks and blockages at every level.
Towards the end of a protection visit, your plumber should supply you with a set of ideas for fixes or advice that may help you continue to keep your house safe and sound from water and sewer damage.
Routine maintenance can help you and your plumber create a relationship which means you will both prepare yourself in case of an emergency.