Practices That Can Have a Disastrous Impact on Your Plumbing

The following are a few plumbing bad habits that need to be broken.

As plumbing ages, it becomes prone to leaks, especially at the joints. If your faucet is leaking, a plumber can easily diagnose the problem and fix it in a few minutes. A leak behind the wall or underneath the kitchen or bathroom sink is more difficult to detect. This is why you need to watch for the common signs, such as water stains or a moldy odor.

A smaller stain or small patch of mold might not seem like a big deal, but choosing to ignore the issue can cause major problems down the road. If left untreated, a minor leak can lead to major damage, including damage to the drywall and flooring. A plumber has the tools and equipment to repair the problem.

Nothing makes a house feel more like a home than covering the walls with pictures of family, friends, and pets. You may also feel ambitious and decide to hang a sconce in the bathroom or a new light fixture above the kitchen sink. However, when the nail, screw, or drill goes through the wall, you might hear a strange noise and see water squirting out of the hole.

This occurs because your home has pipes behind the walls. If you’re planning on decorating or hanging a new light fixture, be aware of your water and drain pipes to prevent an unnecessary disaster.

Keeping an eye on your indoor plumbing during the winter will prevent the pipes from freezing and bursting. It’s equally as important to prepare your outdoor faucets for the impending colder temperatures. The following are a few simple steps to help you winterize your outdoor spigots:

Insulating the faucets adds another layer of protection. You can do this in several different ways, including covering the faucets with foam pipe insulation or wrapping them with a specialized heat tape if desired.

In addition to not putting certain items down the drain, including potato peels, bones, and napkins or paper towels, you could be misusing your garbage disposal in other ways.

To prevent damage, clogs, and bad odors, run cold water through your garbage disposal at least once a week. This may dislodge any foods before they can begin to smell and cause corrosion.

In addition to drying out your skin and exacerbating the symptoms of psoriasis and eczema, enjoying frequent long, hot showers can cause serious damage to your bathroom. The moisture created by these hot showers can cause mold to grow rapidly throughout your bathroom. In addition to the dangers posed to your family’s health, mold can stain and damage your bathtub.

The constant overuse of your hot water may also drastically shorten the lifespan of your hot water heater, and the combination of mold and mildew damage and an overused hot water heater will quickly drain your pocketbook. Instead, ask your plumber to turn down the temperature on your hot water heater to between 120 and 125 degrees Fahrenheit. Many manufacturers use higher preset temperatures on units.

If your family isn’t willing to shorten their showers, consider installing timers on the shower heads. In addition to lowering your water bills, the timers will prevent strain on the water heater and lower the incidents of mold and mildew inside the bathroom.

From taking too many hot showers to misusing and abusing your garbage disposal, many homeowners have bad plumbing habits which they need to break. If you have any additional questions, contact the professionals at (630) 964-2222 Jim Dhamer Plumbing & Sewer, Inc.

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