Put These 6 Plumbing Tips on Your New Year’s Resolutions
Plumbing is something most people do not think about until it breaks. It is easy to let minor problems go until they become more noticeable, but this can be costly in the long run. As you make your New Year’s resolutions, it might be a good idea to put these plumbing tips into action.
1. No Grease, Oil, or Starches Down the Drain
Even if you have a garbage disposal, it is not a good idea to put grease, oils, or starches, like potatoes or flour, down the drain. One of the most common causes of clogs is putting these types of items down the drain. They will not clog your drain immediately, but they will build up over time. The best advice is to use a sink strainer to catch any food scraps that happen to slip past.
2. Watch for Warning Signs
If you hear gurgling sounds coming from the drain, it is a sign of more trouble down the road. Most plumbing problems do not get better on their own, and the sooner you get them fixed, the less costly they will be in the long term. It is best not to ignore those little drips and leaks while they are still little.
3. Don’t Overuse Liquid Drain Cleaner
The first thing most people do when they have a clogged drain is to grab the drain cleaner, but this can cause big problems. If you have an older home and old pipes, a drain cleaner can damage your plumbing by slowly eating it away. This is another problem that might not be noticeable immediately but will build up over time until you need an expensive pipe replacement.
4. Perform Routine Inspections and Maintenance
Having a professional perform an annual inspection on your plumbing can help prevent the need for more costly plumbing repair jobs. Catching a small leak before it becomes a major break is always the better option. A professional knows how to look for the little things that mean big trouble later. That is a good reason to put calling a plumber for a regular inspection on your list of things to do in the new year.
5. Be Careful With DIY
Sometimes, fixing your plumbing pipes might seem like a simple task, but it often does not go as expected. You can find many articles and videos online that make the job look easy, but when you get into it, you will often find that these were misleading. For one, you might not have the same tools a professional plumber uses to do the job. Also, there might be little tricks that are common knowledge in the trade but that were not included in the video or instructions. Then, there is the frustration of messing it up and having to start over. In the end, it is usually better to call an expert in the first place, unless you are an expert yourself.
6. Practice Plumbing Mindfulness
A few simple practices, like using hair catchers in the tub and sink strainers in the kitchen, can go a long way in preventing clogs and saving on plumbing repair costs. You should also never flush anything but toilet paper down the sewer system. Plumbing mindfulness means thinking first before you put something down your drain for convenience.
The best advice is to not ignore the plumbing warning signs and get someone out to inspect your system a regular inspection. This is one New Year’s resolution that will pay off for years to come. Contact us at Price’s Plumbing in Mt. Laurel Township, NJ by phone at 1 (856) 325-9719 or by email at pricesplumbing@gmail.com to have your plumbing system checked out by a professional.