9 Things You Need to Know About Your Home Plumbing

However, if you have some basic knowledge about your home’s plumbing system, most of these problems can be avoided or easily fixed.

Don’t Let Your Pipes Freeze

If you have any water pipes that are exposed to the elements or in an unheated crawl space, you will need to take extra measures to make sure your pipes don’t freeze in cold weather. If possible insulate the space where the pipes are. If that’s not possible, you can purchase and install electric heating tape that is wrapped around the pipes and will keep the pipes from freezing.

Don’t Ignore Your Plumbing

Every few months check any water pipes that are visible in your home. Look for any water dripping, rust forming or buckling or cracking of any pipe. If you do this, you will be able to catch most problems early on before they cause any major damage to your home.

Take Care of Water Spigots

If you live in a cold climate, it’s a good idea to protect your outdoor water spigots from freezing. You can purchase an insulating cover to install over the spigot. You can also shut the water off to the spigot so it won’t freeze or your can install a frost-free hose bib so you can shut off the water close to the wall of your home.

Stop that Faucet Leak

If you have a leaky faucet, chances are that it is due to a worn out washer. To fix that leak, unscrew the end of the faucet, remove the old washer, replace it with a new one and tighten the end of the faucet back on and your leak should be fixed.

Don’t Abuse Your Plumbing

Many drain clogs are caused by oil and grease being poured down the home’s drains. Once this oil or grease cools, it hardens and clogs the drain. Do your drains a favor and dispose of the grease in your regular garbage.

Pay Attention to Your Water Heater

A Water Heater is not a maintenance free appliance. The tank should be flushed once a year and the anode should be checked to make sure it is not rusty or oxidized.

Educate Yourself

If your pipes start leaking, do you know where the shutoff valve is? Take some time now and find out where those valves are located and make sure they all work.

Be Careful With Chemicals

While chemical drain cleaners can help to clear out a clog, they can sometimes damage certain types of piping. So even though they are a quick fix, they may not be the best choice.

Pump Your Septic Tank

Septic tanks accumulate scum and sludge over the years of it’s use. According to “A Pump Away”, a professional service for septic tank pumping in Atlanta, you should pump your septic tank about every 5 years.

If you educate yourself and do preventive maintenance on your plumbing system you should have very few major problems. Gather some basic tools and you will be ready to do routine maintenance and fix any minor problems that do exist.

This article was written by Hannah Whittenly with help from “A Pump Away”, an Atlanta septic tank pumping business.

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