Our plumbing system is not something we often think about, especially with our busy summer schedules. Although we may not notice, there are a few simple things we can do to help us avoid any plumbing problems this summer. First, kids dirty clothes are frequent. Make sure to get mud, dirt, and lots of grub off before sticking them in our washing machines. Second, after a good night of cooking out, make sure to throw food away in the garbage instead of in our kitchen disposal. Often we think our disposals can handle a lot more than they actually can. And thirdly and most importantly, make sure you do frequent checks and inspections of your home’s plumbing system to ensure that all is running smoothly.
The purpose of a washing machine is to clean our clothes, but there is such thing as too dirty. If clothes have too much mud or dirt when they are put in the washing machine, it will be taken with the water into the drain hose and possibly clog it. To avoid this, scrub off as much grub off of your clothes before they are put in the washer. You can do this with a butter knife or a brush, but don’t brush too hard. That will push the dirt into the clothes instead of cleaning it out.
From clothes to food, there are ways you can ease the load on your plumbing system. The second way is to go easy on the kitchen disposal. There are foods you shouldn’t put down there, such as greases and oils. Putting those in the disposal will cover the blades and render them less effective, not to mention that they’ll stink up the kitchen. Putting in fibrous foods or egg shells will cause stringy portions of them to wrap around the blade and possibly clog up the pipes. Make sure to only put food items that the disposal can handle.
Lastly, make sure to make frequent checks on your plumbing system. You can do things to avoid more clogging, but there’s still the possibility of it happening. Take a look at the exposed pipes in sinks, toilets, dishwashers, and other appliances to make sure there’s no corrosion or dripping. If there is, then replace the needed parts. Also, inspect the copper or brass fittings and the shutoff valves to make sure they’re mounted properly. Corrosion is more likely in places where different metals meet, so make sure to fix that difference.
The plumbing system is often ignored or neglected in a home. This summer, make sure that your system avoids any clogging or excess damage by following these three easy tips. In doing so, you make sure that your plumbing system is working fine with a low risk of clogging or leaking. For help or questions, call in a plumbing expert to solve all your plumbing needs.
