Important Tips for Maintaining Your Home's Plumbing
If you're like many homeowners, you never give thought to your home's plumbing until there is a water leak, severe clog, or other such problem that needs addressing. However, with some simple maintenance performed on a regular basis, your home's plumbing is much less likely to suffer a leak, burst pipe, clog, and similar damage. Note a few simple but important tips for keeping your home's plumbing in tiptop shape, and then discuss these tips with a plumber as needed.
Blocked showerheads and faucets
If your home has hard water, meaning water with lots of mineral deposits, the showerheads and faucets are likely to get blocked by sediment. This can cause water pressure to build up behind the faucets and in the pipes, leading to eventual leaks. Regularly clean showerheads and faucets with a hard water cleaner, or with a vinegar and water solution and a stiff brush, to always ensure water is always flowing freely in the home and there is no undue pressure on the pipes.
Water heater
Your home's water heater will often get sediment stuck to the inside; this can be from those minerals in hard water as well as rust and other debris. That sediment will make the heater work harder to heat that water and then push it through the pipes. Have your water heater flushed periodically, as often as recommended by a plumber. This flushing will help remove that sediment and ensure the heater tank is clean, and is not being overworked.
Careful of clogs
Be careful of how you clear clogs in your home's kitchen and bathroom; adding harsh cleaners to a clog can just erode pipes and cause leaks, and especially to the pipes of a toilet, which are not meant to withstand caustic chemicals. Using tools like a screwdriver to stab at a sink clog can also cause damage to the pipes. Have a plumber address stubborn clogs, to keep those pipes in good repair.
Cleaning the pipes
It can be good to have your home's plumbing pipes cleaned out regularly; this can stop the development of clogs and remove anything that may be collecting inside the pipes, such as mud, dirt, and the like. A plumber can snake out all the home's pipes, or use a special type of air horn; the blast of air will push all sediment and debris through the pipes, safely and easily. A plumber can also add certain detergents to the pipes, to ensure they're thoroughly clean and are less likely to develop clogs and get damaged over time.
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