Bad habits come in all shapes and sizes, ranging from mildly annoying to deeply dangerous. While habits like nail-biting, swearing, and phone addiction are unpleasant, they won’t affect your home’s plumbing system. Yet, poor plumbing practices can cause much more severe dysfunction down the line. For example, flushing the wrong things down the toilet will have you calling your toilet repair service all too soon.
Bad habits have consequences – make sure you focus on cleaning up the ones that truly count. For instance, ignoring a leaky faucet or failing to clear out safety hazards can result in extensive damage that will cost homeowners thousands of dollars to remedy. To avoid this kind of a mess, it’s essential that those who tend to their homes practice good plumbing responsibility. That means replacing washers immediately when they snap, checking pipes often for potential problem spots, and generally being proactive about pipe maintenance.
Don't Take Your Plumbing System For Granted
Without us even realizing it, our plumbing system provides us with the clean water and drainage we need. We take it primarily for granted, perhaps only paying attention when something isn’t working correctly; a clogged sink or a leaky pipe is often enough to send you into a state of panic due to its undeniable importance.
We depend on our plumbing to keep our homes functioning, which means we should give it some appreciation every once in a while. Regular maintenance of our pipes is crucial and can prevent disaster in the form of possible floods or burst pipes down the line. A little love directed towards your plumbing now can save you hassle later. In addition, watch for bad habits that can ruin your plumbing system.
Harsh Drain Cleaners
Drain cleaners can quickly break down and dissolve tough blockage and grime in your pipes. It is an excellent solution for serious or hard-to-reach clogs; however, its strength lies in the use of harsh chemical components. All of these chemicals work together to clear away problematic gunk, but at the same time, they are ironically also corrosive and abrasive.
Overuse of drain cleaners will eventually damage your pipes from the inside out, leading to replacements or costly repairs down the road. To avoid this problem, try using more natural solutions such as baking soda and white vinegar or pipe-clearing tools like manual snake lines before resorting to strong drain cleaners while limiting chemical usage to once every few years.
PLUMBING SERVICES IN FAIRFAX COUNTY
Garbage Disposal Abuse
While garbage disposals can be a handy tool for disposing of food, we must remember that they are not all-purpose tools meant to replace our trash cans. Many items, such as hot grease and eggshells, are not suitable to place down the garbage disposal as they may cause costly damage or clog up the drain.
Similarly, fibrous and starchy foods like rice, pasta, or potato peels should also never go down a garbage disposal as they may expand in water and tangle up the blades. By being aware of what can and cannot go down a garbage disposal before you dispose of your kitchen waste, you’ll help avoid unnecessary headaches and costs for yourself in the future.
Hair In The Drain
For many people, shaving is an integral part of their daily routine. Whether over a sink or while taking a shower, unwanted hair can easily be wiped away and washed down the drain. Unfortunately, this seemingly harmless act can lead to clogged drains over time. All that accumulated soap scum can cling to those pesky hair fibers and eventually build up until you have a significant clog on your hands.
Fortunately, an easy way to avoid this scenario is to invest in a mesh drain screen. Perfect for catching stray hairs and other debris that could otherwise end up blocking your pipes, these removable filters are essential for any household looking for a long-term plumbing solution.
Toilet Abuse
Just like your garbage disposal, it’s all too easy to flush the wrong things down the toilet. It may not seem like it, but flushing everyday non-degradable objects down the toilet can have serious consequences and a call to your toilet repair service. As convenient as it seems, resist the urge to flush paper towels, feminine hygiene products, kitty litter, and more items labeled “flushable.”
It might take a few extra trips to the garbage can, but your pipes will thank you. And you can avoid calling your toilet repair service. If you’re considering discarding anything other than toilet paper and waste in the toilet, first check to see whether or not it is biodegradable. Flushing non-biodegradables down the toilet is an invitation for costly plumbing repairs. It’s always better to err on the side of caution and use common sense when disposing of these items; keep your toilet repair plumber’s number handy in case of emergencies or mishaps.
Don't Ignore Hard Water
Hard water is the traditional bane of plumbers and homeowners alike; the extra calcium deposits are unsightly and problematic. If your home is affected by hard water, issues such as clogged showers, pipes that corrode faster than expected, and even more serious problems like sediment buildup in boiler systems may arise.
The most obvious telltale sign of hard water is a flaky residue that builds up on sinks and shower heads over time. Uninterrupted or uncorrected use can lead to a great many plumbing problems down the line. To avoid this, you can use a combination of vinegar and water to dissolve the residue immediately. An even better solution would be to contact a plumber to find out what’s going on and make sure it’s handled before more serious damage occurs.
Kinnett Plumbing: We Are Here To Help
At Kinnett Plumbing, our highly trained and dependable technicians are here to help you at a moment’s notice. No plumbing chore is too small or large for us to tackle; our experienced staff can quickly assess the situation and provide an accurate diagnosis of your needs and a cost-effective solution to get your plumbing back in working condition.
We service the entire Fairfax County area and are proud to be located in Manassas, VA. So whether it’s an emergency plumbing issue or just a minor clog, give us a call and let us take the hassle out of your plumbing services today.
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