In an ideal world, everything in our homes would last forever. Things would never break down, wear out, or rust. Unfortunately, this isn’t a perfect world. All of your home fixtures and appliances need to be repaired or replaced overtime. That includes your home plumbing fixtures.
Obviously, you want to avoid the cost and stress of major plumbing projects such as repiping your whole home for as long as you can. To try and get away from that, we suggest following these plumbing care tips instead! There’s no magic secret to any of these, just some normal maintenance and a little bit of clever thinking. Follow these tips properly and you will be amazed at how much longer you can keep your plumbing working the ideal way.
Try And Pay Attention To What You Actually Flush
This applies to any drain, such as the ones on your bathrooms and kitchen sink. Nothing damages drain pipes such as flushing items that do not belong down them. In addition, make sure you never flush items such as grease, baby wipes, hair, coffee grounds, rice, and feminine hygiene products down your drains.
Each of these products and goods similar to them are leading causes of home drain clogs. Clogs aren’t just an inconvenience, either; they can also seriously damage your plumbing. The best way to avoid clogs is simply to pay more attention to what you are flushing down your drains.
Make Sure That Your Water Pressure Isn’t Too Substantial
High water pressure feels great to some individuals, but if it’s too high it might damage your pipes. When water courses through your plumbing too forcefully, it can create punctures and fractures. Over time, these small damages grow into more drastic leaks.
An average home’s water pressure is between 40 and 85 psi. If you think your water pressure might be a bit too high, you can test yourself using a pressure gauge. If you find out your pressures is higher than 85 psi, it is highly suggest that you call in a local Long Beach Plumber for some assistance. An experienced plumber can help install a pressure reducer to bring your water pressure back down to safe levels.
Do Not Use Chemical Drain Cleaners
Chemical drain cleaners are always a no-no. Sure, they’ll eat away at drain clogs… but they’ll also eat away at the pipes themselves! Applying chemical drain cleaners on a daily eats away at your pipes with time.
Eventually, the acid in the cleaner will wear holes, fractures, and leaks straight through your pipes. Our Long Beach Plumbing experts suggest plunging, snaking, or professional drain cleaning instead.
Install A Water Softener
Everybody who doesn’t have a water softener probably have one. Hard water doesn’t just damage your skin, hair, and clothes, in addition, it also wears down the plumbing it flows through. Hard water has in it minerals such as calcium and potassium. These minerals gradually chip away at pipes, build up as scum on fixtures, and react with metal to spur corrosion.
Installing a water softener helps lower the mineral material inside your home’s water. Soft water is easier on skin, hair, clothes, pipes, and fixtures. Moreover, installing a water softener can help make your water easier on your entire home’s plumbing system.
Schedule Regular Maintenance Check-Ups
When it comes to taking care of anything, being proactive is always better than being reactive. Plumbing is no exception when it comes to this, It costs much less to keep up with regular plumbing maintenance than it does to fix a drastic plumbing damage.