How to Extend the Life of Your Piping System

How to Extend the Life of Your Piping System

The plumbing system in your house is often only thought of when something goes wrong, such as a clogged drain, a faucet stopped working, or the toilet won’t flush.

Become familiar with basic maintenance of your plumbing system not only will you save money, but will you’ll help prolong the life of your pipes and fixtures.

Know the Basics

Get to know every fixture in your house and the type of water you have before something goes wrong. Look for warning signs such as slow drains, dripping faucets, water under pipes or on the floor, toilet flushing problems, and hard water stains.

Once you’ve identified potential problems, purchase a few basic tools that will help in most plumbing situations. These include a plunger, a pair of channel lock pliers, a screwdriver set, a flashlight, and a drain snake.

Practice Prevention

The best advice for preventing clogs is to watch what goes down the drain. Grease is particularly damaging and can build up over time. Don’t attempt to put anything down the drain that doesn’t belong, including trash, hair, or any other solid items. In the kitchen, make sure as much food waste is thrown in the trash and not in the garbage disposal.

Install a water conditioner to avoid the effects of hard water on your piping system. Hard water contains trace minerals, like calcium and magnesium. These minerals build up over time and can eventually cause fixtures to clog.

Inspect your shower head for proof of hard water mineral build up. A water conditioner will also improve the taste of drinking water, since it removes or treats the mineral deposits commonly found in municipal water supplies.

Clean Drains and Avoid Clogs

When a drain is clogged, resist the urge to buy popular brand name products for drains, as these are harsh and corrosive. These chemicals can do more harm than good, and often fail to fix the clog.

Vinegar or bleach are both environmentally safer alternatives. Vinegar helps keep sinks and drains smelling fresh. Bleach, used sparingly, can help dissolve minor clogs and particles in the waste trap.

Want to extend the life of your Columbia home piping system? Call Plumbing Solutions at (803) 513-5749 to find out ways to extend the life of your pipes.