Avoid Plumbing Emergencies With Regular Maintenance Checks

The importance of maintenance work on any system can never be stressed enough. To ensure that things remain running smoothly with systems inside our home, maintenance tasks must be performed regularly. This is particularly true of our home plumbing systems.

Conducting preventative maintenance plumbing tasks is of paramount importance, especially when you consider the complications and high costs that come with failing to do any maintenance work on them.

One does not need to be a skilled plumber to perform preventative maintenance plumbing tasks. All it requires is a little patience, a few simple tools, a sharp eye and of course, a lot of common sense to do them on a regular basis and spot potential problems.

Check for Leaks

Leaks are a common plumbing problem, and its typical signs are watermarks and puddles. Check around your kitchen and bathroom faucets for them.

Flush your Water Heater Tank

If you have one of those water heating systems that require storage, we recommend that you flush that tank once a year to remove sediments that could eventually cause corrosion, which in turn could develop into leaks.

Check for Corrosion

Corrosion on pipes, tanks, and other plumbing fixtures often leads to leaks, so keep an eye out for signs like orange or yellowish stains on steel pipes or green stains on fittings made of copper and brass.

Clear Slow Drains

Inspect all the drains in your house and see how fast or slow water drains. If it’s slower than usual, or if you notice bubbling and gurgling, you might have to clear the drain of debris.

Check Water Pressure

Your home’s plumbing system is at the receiving end of a lot of stress from the water pressure, so always make sure that you check the water pressure and make sure it is always at a safe level. You can use a pressure gauge to check water pressure, and doing so only takes a few minutes.

Inspect the Toilet

Inspect the toilet by looking inside the tank and checking for any broken or rusted parts that need replacing. To check if the tank has a leak, put a few drops of food coloring into the tank. If you see this color in the bowl, then there is a leak that you have to take care of immediately before it gets worse.

Look for Cracked Tiles

Cracked tiles could indicate that there is a leak in a pipe behind a wall. The leaking water could cause rotting drywall, which in turn causes loose or cracked tiles.

Check Faucets and Shower Heads for Sediments

Sediments tend to accumulate in faucets and shower heads over time, so remove them every now and then and check for sediment build up. If there are indeed mineral deposits, soak them in vinegar overnight and scrub away any deposit that remains.

Inspect your Dishwasher and Washing Machine

An appliance as regularly used as dishwashers and washing machines suffers wear and tear over time, so check for any such problems as well as knots or bumps in the supply hoses. It’s also recommended that hoses be replaced periodically.

Always keep in mind that performing preventative maintenance plumbing tasks is a lot less costly and troublesome than any major plumbing problem that could come up in the future. Do conduct preventative maintenance plumbing tasks at least once a year and make sure everything is working perfectly to avoid, or at least anticipate, any plumbing emergency that may arise.