It is indeed a great achievement to own a place which you can call your ‘home’. Though it feels like a dream come true, it comes with a new set of roles and responsibilities to take care of your new house. When you move to a new house, you have much to learn about dos and don’ts about it. Plumbing is one of the potential ways you can protect your home from costly problems. If you know a few plumbing tricks up your sleeves, you can benefit significantly from it. Here are some of the few methods that you can apply to your new house.
Get regular plumbing and heat examination
One of the essential practices that will benefit you is the regular plumbing and heat inspections. It gives you an insight into what kinds of changes are needed to adapt to the seamless functioning of your home. The nominal charges that it would take are worth the savings that you will make by preventing some disastrous experiences that may occur in the long run. After the complete inspection, you will be provided with a list of things that should be repaired or replaced.
Also, you can’t expect your heating appliance to run for years without some necessary inspection, and the heating system of your home is no exception. An annual efficiency inspection is highly recommended by a qualified technician, especially if the heating system hasn’t been used for much of the year.
Know your main water shut off valve for leakage emergencies
You may come across an event of an emergency plumbing situation when the need to shut off the main valve of your water supply. The last thing that you would want to do in an emergency pipe leakage scenario is to search around the house for the shut off valve. The chances are your house will already be flooded in gallons of water before you would find your main faucet. The main shut off valve will stop the supply of water within the whole house.
The most probable places where the main supply valve is generally located are in the basement, or sometimes you will have to crawl below your house to find it.
Clean your shower drain on a regular interval
It might look like a nightmare, but you can’t afford to ignore the clogged drains of your house. Try to take some time to clean the hair accumulation and other debris from the shower regularly. You will benefit from this habit in the long run. And if you don’t want to clean it, then use a catch for hair and other things that might clog your pipes. If you have a clogged sewer system, a camera inspection could be a good idea. Some affordable plumbing techniques like hydro jetting can clear your sewer lines quickly and efficiently. The high-velocity water pressure eliminates clogs in a flash, removes accumulated blocks, and clears out pipe walls.
Avoid using a liquid drain cleaner
Although it might sound like the best option to clean your clogged sewer system, it is probably the worst option to go for. Liquid sewage cleaner can cause more damage to your pipes than the claims that it can fix. It produces both internal and external damage to your home’s plumbing system. The chemical used in the draining eats the finishes of your sink and toilets. As in most cases, the drain cleaners can settle onto the porcelain of your toilet’s bowl and cause cracks.
Provide proper sheath your outdoor pipes in winters
In winters, if you are not providing adequate coverage to your pipes, then chances are you will find your water pipes bursting. Water expands in winters, and so it might ruin all your pipes if necessary, steps are not taken. It might hit your savings very severely. With the help of some affordable plumbing changes, you can easily prevent it. You can insulate your water pipes with foam pipe insulation, and the water inside the pipes won’t freeze. Put foam covers on outdoor spigots as the water inside it might froze and block the water passage, even if you cover all your pipes with foam. Also, leave minimal hot and cold water running in the faucets to avoid its freezing.
Avoid throwing garbage disposals into your drain
Be wary of disposing of any garbage into the sink, which should have landed in a dustbin in the first place. Avoid pouring any fats, oil, or grease down the drain. These fatty oils and other greasy substances build up in the drainage pipes and eventually clogging it.
Let some cold water running for a few seconds before running your garbage disposals. And after you are done, let the water running for five to ten seconds. Also, you can put some ice cubes in the garbage disposals on a regular interval to keep your blades sharp.
Always have an emergency services number
It is best to call the professionals if the situation gets worst. There comes a time when no matter what you do to correct your situation, you cannot do as efficiently as a professional plumber could do. In case of massive leakage, multiple pipes burst or blocked sewage situation; it’s best to have a local plumber on your speed dial. You can get some highly recommended plumber in Balmain, Sydney.
Final Words
The bottom line is you don’t need to worry about your new home if you have some necessary insights into fundamental plumbing techniques. You don’t want to call a plumber every time you find a leakage in your home. The above maintenance tricks will help you avert significant problems in your new home in the long run.