Caring for your home’s plumbing system can seem daunting. Your plumbing is the workhorse of all the systems in your house. It brings clean water and removes unsanitary waste away from your home. When the same system is responsible for two such essential tasks, it’s even more important to ensure your plumbing is up to the task of this critical responsibility. Indoor plumbing can be tricky and lead to a myriad of messy problems if it’s not maintained. Here are 5 tips to keep your plumbing system running smoothly!

5 Tips for Taking Care of Your Plumbing System

Keep Your Drain Clean: Clean drains are the healthy bones of a well-maintained plumbing system. The first step to ensuring your drains remain clean is to refrain from sending harmful items into your pipes. You can place drain traps in your sinks to prevent foreign objects and destructive items from clogging your system. Once your drain is backed up, it can lead to many unfortunate plumbing events.

Avoid Hard Water Buildup: Hard water is an enemy to healthy pipes. If you aren’t familiar with the term hard water, it’s water with high mineral carriers. When water has a high mineral load, it can be damaging to water-centric appliances and plumbing fixtures. Hard water leaves behind a residue that is damaging to these items over time. Avoiding hard water requires installing a water softening device that can clear these minerals from your supply.

Monitor Your System for Leaks: Plumbing leaks are insidious. They can hide for months without being detected, and when you finally find the leak, there’s been significant damage to your home. You can avoid this catastrophe by doing periodic system checks to look for vulnerable points in your system. Leaks can hide, but if you know what to look for, you can spot them fairly easily. Look for brown or yellow spots on drywall around your house. You can also search areas near your plumbing system for signs of mildew or mold, which both have unique odors that you can’t miss.

Preventative Not Reactive Maintenance: It’s easy to forget about your plumbing until there’s a problem, but it’s better for your plumbing if you schedule regular maintenance to keep your system in good shape. Drain cleaning, water heater flushing, and pipe checks by a professional are just a few of the scheduled maintenance services you can arrange with your plumber that can go a long way towards keeping your system operating without interruptions. Don’t wait for problems to perform plumbing maintenance.

Look for Warning Signs: Leaks, high water bills, and slow draining are just a few of the signs your plumbing system will give you to show it’s in distress. Don’t dismiss these signs as inconveniences. When you notice a sink or tub is draining slowly, investigate. If your water bill is higher than your typical season average, then you should investigate the issue. The key to saving your plumbing system and avoiding large-scale plumbing problems is to notice the signs your system is having problems and act immediately. Any of these signs mentioned above could be an indicator of anything from a small leak to a running toilet. You can save a lot of headaches and future problems by investigating issues early on and solving them.

Knowing When to Call a Plumbing Professional

Keeping your plumbing system clean and operational seems like significant work, but it doesn’t have to be. You can keep your system on track with a few household additions to protect your drains and a maintenance plan with your local plumbing team. At Watermen Plumbing Inc., we can help you prevent serious plumbing issues and keep your system moving smoothly. Call today at (954) 800-6364 to schedule an appointment or for more information about our maintenance plans.