When it comes to residential plumbing, it’s always important to not only look for ways to get the best return on your investment, but also keep your home and everyone in it safe from any plumbing problems. While some plumbing issues are certainly minimal and pose little risk, there are a few out there that can truly be emergencies. Here at Stine-Nichols Plumbing, we’ve mentioned the importance of maintenance before both here on the blog and on our social media channels. Believe it or not, maintenance really can go a long way in preserving the life of your plumbing system.
This week on the blog, we’re going to talk about keeping your home SAFE from plumbing headaches. This includes the actual plumbing components themselves and any occupants of the home, as well as your property inside the house. We’ll discuss routine maintenance tips that anyone can implement, general strategies to live by and what to look out for to prevent a minor issue from becoming a major one. Now, are all plumbing issues preventable? Unfortunately probably not, but you can definitely limit the damage with some everyday plumbing knowledge! With that introduction in-place, let’s dive right in and discuss a few residential plumbing tips and tricks.
Prepare Your Plumbing for Changing Weather Conditions
For those of you who live in the Kansas City area, you’re likely well aware of how quickly the weather conditions can change. We’re no strangers to some frigid temperatures and snowfall in the winter, as well as some scorchers in the summer. And if your plumbing system isn’t prepared to handle this, it can lead to plenty of future headaches. This is a major reason why we try to put out plumbing checklists before the seasons change.
Need some examples of changing weather conditions causing plumbing problems? Before the winter rolls through, have you ever disconnected hoses or shut off any outdoor faucets at the shut-off valves? How about as spring gets close, do you make sure to test your sump pump to ensure it’s ready to go? If you forgot to disconnect your hoses, then you could be faced with pipes bursting. And if you failed to test out your sump pump and it doesn’t turn on when a heavy rainstorm comes through, you could be looking at a flooded basement! I’m guessing both of those are situations that you would prefer to avoid.
Keep Everyone Knowledgeable
Particularly for those with bigger families, a terrific piece of plumbing advice is to make sure everyone is educated on the home’s plumbing system. This applies to both routine plumbing problems that may arise, as well as potential emergencies. In terms of routine scenarios, think of things that are easily avoidable. Perfect examples of these are either flushing the wrong things down your toilet or thinking your drains can handle just about anything. Both are no-no’s and can easily lead to clogged pipes.
What’s some knowledge that could limit the damage in the event of a plumbing emergency? How about knowing where the main water shut-off valve is? If you were to experience interior flooding or other significant water damage, there’s no doubt this can lead to some financial repercussions and lost possessions. While you may not be able to eliminate all of the damage, turning off the main shut-off valve can help minimize the damage.
Prepare for Vacations
If you’re starting to notice a theme throughout this blog so far, it’s the importance of proper preparation. Whether that be preparing for changing seasons, preparing everyone in the household for potential emergency situations or as your next point reads, preparing for vacations. Preparing your plumbing for being out of town may look a little bit different household-to-household. However, a common theme should revolve around attempting to minimize any potential plumbing problems while you’re gone.
Make Sure the Drains are Clear – Before you head out, it doesn’t hurt to make sure your drains are clear. Failure to do so could result in you being welcomed back with some unpleasant odors. And if you suspect something may be wrong with the sewer line, consider having a camera inspection completed to see what’s really going on inside your pipes.
Check for Leaks – If you have some free time, take a look around the house to make sure there are no leaks. Even if they may be rather minor, you never know if they could escalate while you’re out of town.
Turn Off the Main Water Shut-Off – Want a sure-fire way to ensure you’re not greeted with a major plumbing emergency? Turning off the water shut-off will certainly help in preventing water damage issues.
Have a Smart Water Heater? – Our final point for vacation prep might not apply to all homeowners, but is definitely a cool feature for those with smart water heaters. Take this Rheem Electric water heater for example. It features a “vacation mode” setting that will save homeowners on energy costs while they’re gone. Plus, this can all be set from their mobile app!
Never Let Leaks Sit
As evidenced above in the section about preparing for vacations, a major factor in a smooth-operating plumbing system is catching minor issues before they become major headaches. And there’s certainly no denying that plumbing problems can easily escalate over time, when left unchecked. Add periodic maintenance checks to your homeownership routine. Even if it’s something as simple as a dripping faucet or a running toilet, don’t let that go unfixed for months on end. More often than not, these types of issues can be fixed rather quickly. Not to mention, letting them sit for month after month without getting fixed will also just lead to higher utility bills for you as well! Remember, proactive plumbing will surely save you plenty of money and headaches in the long run.
Clean Your Showerhead
While this next point certainly isn’t a major safety concern, it is simply too easy of a problem not to fix! Over time, you’re going to inevitably have some mineral build-up in your showerhead that leads to what seems like less-than-normal water pressure. Luckily, this is such an easy problem to fix that we recommend everyone give it a try from time-to-time. Simply disconnect the showerhead, let it sit in distilled white vinegar and then you should easily be able to poke out the deposits with a toothpick. As simple as that!
Call Your Friends at Stine-Nichols Plumbing
As I briefly alluded to above, you can’t prevent every single plumbing problem! Some of the time, things are simply out of your control. In these instances, you’re going to want to have a reliable local plumbing company that is not only timely, but also able to resolve any issues you may be experiencing. If you live in the Kansas City area or any of the surrounding cities, your friends at Stine-Nichols Plumbing have you covered! Our experienced and licensed plumbing technicians possess the experience and knowledge necessary to handle just about any plumbing problem there is. Plus, to add to it, our technicians will be able to inform you on how you can prevent the same issue from happening twice.
Interested in getting a free quote for a potential plumbing project at either your home or business? We would be happy to have the opportunity to earn your business. Click HERE to fill out the form on our website or give us a call at (816) 348-3481 to learn more. We look forward to working with you!