A new year is upon us. A whole year of opportunities. 365 days for something to go wrong with your home’s plumbing. Rather than spending the year wondering what that gurgling noise is or if the shower always used to drain that slow, use this list of common plumbing emergencies and how to avoid them to make 2021 flow as smoothly as possible.
Clogged Drains
The most common plumbing issue is clogged drains. The kitchen sink, the bathroom sink, the toilet, and the shower are all susceptible to the possibility of clogging. Avoiding back-ups is easy - be mindful of what goes down your drains.
Kitchen Sink
The kitchen sink is the catch-all in most homes, but the truth is, there are a lot of things that should never go down the drain regardless of having a garbage disposal. The disposal may break down items allowing them to pass through the drain, but some substances can create long term damage to your pipes on the way down.
Things that should not go down the kitchen sink:
Coffee Grounds
Egg Shells
Animal Bones
Oil/Grease
Vegetable Peels
Fruit Pits
Flour
Pasta
Rice
Be cautious in discarding leftovers and scraps into your sink because they may be the reason you are calling Plumb Level this year.
Bathroom Sink & Shower
The bathroom sink and the shower see a lot of the same no-nos. From soap scum to globs of hair, it is no wonder our sinks back-up. In most cases, it is hard to avoid the amount of hair or soap that enters the drain, but there are tools that will lengthen your drain’s life.
Hair Trap
Hair traps are inexpensive, easy to install gadgets that go in your shower drain and catch large amounts of hair before they enter your plumbing. When your shower is done, simply grab the hair that has been caught and discard it in the trash. This simple trick is a game-changer for the shower drain.
Toilets
Your toilets should only dispose of human waste and toilet paper. That is it. “Flushable wipes”? Nope. Baby wipes? No. Feminine hygiene products? Never. You get the picture. Despite several products claiming to be flushable, they are not, and keeping them out of your plumbing will keep toilet clogs at bay this year.
Burst Pipes
Yikes! This is a headache that no one wants to deal with. The most common cause of a bursting pipe is freezing temperatures. When the water inside of the pipes freezes it creates pressure and cracks the pipe. When things begin to melt again, leaks and flooding may occur.
Winterizing Pipes
The best way to avoid any pipes from bursting is to take the necessary precautions when cold weather is coming. Winterizing your pipes is a detailed process that includes shutting off your water and turning on your taps to let all water out of the plumbing.
Letting Taps Drip
In Texas, there are usually not freezes intense enough for full winterization to be necessary. When there’s no snowstorm in sight, but the temperatures are dropping to freezing temperatures, letting your sinks and faucets drip will keep the water in your pipes moving and will avoid it staying stagnant and freezing.
Broken Sump Pumps
Sump pumps are used to prevent flooding within a home. Sump pumps are underground devices that can recognize when water is beginning to accumulate and will flush the water out, avoiding any flooding or water damage. These pumps are common in homes with basements. When a sump pump is broken or malfunctioning, flooding can occur,
Routine Maintenance
You may notice during a light rain that water around your home is pooling up, but most of the time a defective sump pump isn’t discovered until it is too late. To avoid flooding, which can be a very costly fix, schedule routine maintenance on your home’s sump pump.
Emergency Plumbing
Clogged drains, burst pipes, and broken sump pumps are a few of the most common plumbing problems. However, plumbing does not stop there. Plumb Level is knowledgeable and experienced to handle a wide array of plumbing mishaps.
If 2021 is not always smooth sailing, call Plumb Level at (979) 200-6674 and experienced plumbing professionals will be there to help you.