Effective Ways to Avoid Plumbing Emergencies
As any seasoned homeowner can attest, few things are more frustrating than large-scale plumbing emergencies. From backed-up drains to clogged sinks to nonfunctional toilets, a single plumbing mishap can make life tremendously difficult for an entire household. Fortunately, while plumbing emergencies can be a pain to deal with, many of them are relatively easy to avoid. Thinking proactively and altering your behavior in small ways can prove extremely helpful in the fight against plumbing problems. To help ensure that plumbing emergencies are rare occurrences in your home, put the following tips to good use.
Be Mindful of What Gets Flushed
A clogged toilet is among the most pressing plumbing emergencies a household can face, especially if there’s only one bathroom. While minor clogs can be remedied with a little plunging, more severe ones can’t be fixed without professional attention. So, to save yourself a tremendous amount of time, money and hassle, make sure that everyone in your household is mindful of what gets flushed.
As a general rule of thumb, the only things that get flushed down your toilet should be waste and toilet paper. If anyone in your house uses a fair amount of toilet paper whenever they visit the bathroom, consider asking them to flush multiple times throughout the wiping process, as this will ensure that an excessive amount of paper isn’t flushed all at once. Secondly, if any members of your household are fond of pre-moistened wipes, make sure they follow the flushing instructions on the packaging. In many cases, the packaging will recommend that no more than one or two of these wipes get flushed at once. Since these wipes are thicker and heavier than regular toilet paper, there’s a greater chance they’ll clog your pipes if flushed in large numbers. For the same reason, everyone in your home will need to avoid flushing tissues, napkins and paper towels. In addition to causing problems for your household, flushing unsafe items can potentially create issues for your city or township, so remember to exercise mindfulness every time you answer the call of nature.
Place Drain Catchers in Your Tubs and Showers
It’s easy to see why shower and tub drains consistently fall victim to clogging. Even in single-person households, a tremendous amount of hair makes its way into these drains, so it’s no surprise that larger families clog their shower drains with regularity. In extreme cases, a clogged drain can leave you standing knee-deep in dirty water by the end of your shower – which is hardly conducive to getting clean. Luckily, there’s an easy and cost-effective fix for this problem – drain catchers. As the name suggests, these handy tools are designed to catch wayward hairs before they’re able to enter drains. In addition to being affordable on even the tightest budget, drain catchers are easy to clean and install. So, if you’re tired of constantly taking a plunger or drain snake to your shower, there’s no time like the present to embrace drain catchers.
Know the Limits of Your Garbage Disposal
Many households regard garbage disposals as end-all tools for food waste. While it’s true that disposals can be extremely useful, they are by no means all-purpose. Although small scraps can comfortably make their way through garbage disposals, large chunks of food and foods with hard textures should go into the trash. In addition to creating drain clogs, improperly using your garbage disposal can result in the blades becoming dull and considerably less effective. If you’re unclear on what is and is not okay to put down your disposal, consult the owner’s manual or get in touch with the manufacturer. Additionally, it never hurts to have an experienced, dependable plumber on speed dial. Anyone in the market for a seasoned plumbing professional should fire up their preferred search engine and look for “plumbers near me”.
Plumbing problems have the potential to affect every member of your household. A single plumbing mishap in a busy, high-traffic area like the kitchen or bathroom can bring all other business in your home to a standstill. Once a plumbing issue is able to take hold, fixing it can prove extremely difficult and cumbersome. This is where preventative maintenance can really pay off. By making small alterations to your everyday behavior and prioritizing preventative maintenance, you can help ensure that plumbing emergencies in your household are few and far between.