Let’s talk about plumbing. It might be a pain in the you-know-what sometimes, but you can’t live without plumbing. It’s a huge bummer when you find yourself desperate for an emergency plumber. If you don’t want to find yourself knee-deep in expensive plumbing services, the best thing you can do is take good care of your plumbing system while it isn’t broken. Check out our list of easy tips you need to make sure you stay on top of:
Four Easy Plumbing Tips That You Don’t Have to Be a Plumber to Perform
- Be On the Lookout for Problems
Some of the biggest plumbing issues start out as tiny issues. It’s easy to ignore a small leak in your bathroom, because you have a hundred billion other problems to worry about. You have bills. At any given moment, you probably have a laundry pile the size of Mount Rushmore that you need to fold and put away. Your kids have soccer games, dance lessons, and science projects that force you to literally be in three places at one time. We get it. Life is exhausting.However, while you were ignoring that little leak, it slowly turned into a huge leak. Now the entire floor of your home all the way to your sewer has to be torn apart to make the sewer line repair. We’re talking extra extra dollar signs for the repair, and for the remediation of your poor floors. You could have avoided all of this if you just made yourself familiar with what your plumbing system looks like when everything is functioning properly, and kept yourself on alert for any time it is not functioning as it should.
- Jump to Action as Soon as a Problem Arises
Okay let’s go back to our original example. You have a simple leak in the faucet in the bathroom. You recognize that you have an issue because you followed the first step and keep an eye out for problems. However, this seems like a small issue. Surely you don’t need to call in any plumbing contractors for an issue like this yet, right?
Well even if you just have a small leak, it isn’t just annoying. When you have just a little moisture collecting in a dark, warm, damp spot (such as under your sink) this becomes a hotbed for mold and mildew. Mold and mildew are no bueno, and possibly hazardous to your health.Do yourself a favor and jump into action as soon as you notice an issue. Learn to fix simple leaks yourself (it’s not hard and doesn’t require much by way of tools), and call in a plumber if you don’t know how to fix an issue. A simple call might only cost your a few bucks, but will save yourself big dollars in repairs if you ignore it. The point is, don’t let small problems fester!
- Acquaint Yourself What to Do if a Problem Arises
Sometimes plumbing problems strike fast and you have a few seconds to prevent them from turning into plumbing catastrophes. If a pipe suddenly burst, do you know how to shut the water to your house off, before it turns into the sequel to Noah’s Ark? You don’t want to rely on a plumber to come in and fix this for you; by the time your plumber gets to your house, you’ll definitely have to file a flood damage claim with your insurance company.
Take some time to identify the main shut-off valve to your home’s water supply. It might be in a hard-to-reach or dark and hidden spot; it’s not a bad idea to keep a wrench and flash light handy, to ensure you can get to it quickly if you need to, in the middle of a broken pipe gushing water everywhere in your home. - Know How to Shut Off Appliances
To follow-up to the previous point, many plumbing catastrophes aren’t problems with your plumbing at all, but the appliances that are plugged into your plumbing. Make sure you know how to shut off the valve to a toilet or sink or ice maker or washing machine that starts acting up. Your know-how and quick action can save you big bucks in avoided repairs.
Do you have any other plumbing tips and tricks that a home owner should know? Please share below!