Don’t Make These Common Plumbing Mistakes.
A simple mistake can be costly when it comes to a home’s plumbing system. To avoid a plumbing emergency, homeowners should avoid liquid drain cleaners, schedule water heater maintenance, and call a professional plumber for all plumbing installations or repairs. Get 2022 started right by avoiding the following common plumbing mistakes.
Pour Liquid Drain Cleaner Down a Clogged Drain
Drain cleaning services help prevent clogged drains in the kitchen or bathroom plumbing. When a clog does occur, homeowners should not make the mistake of using liquid drain cleaners to unclog the drain.
Liquid drain cleaner contains a cocktail of extremely harsh chemicals that burn through the clog in the drain. These chemicals come with many side effects, including respiratory symptoms and skin irritation.
Often the liquid drain cleaner is not enough to remove the clog, which leaves the toxic fumes with nowhere to go but up into the house. This only serves to make a bad situation worse. Instead of using a liquid drain cleaner, homeowners should schedule drain maintenance with a professional plumber.
Forget to Service the Water Heater
Water heaters are one of the most important pieces of plumbing hardware in the modern home. They heat the warm water used daily for cooking, cleaning, and bathing. Because they get daily use, water heaters need regular maintenance.
Skipping water heater maintenance could lead to a system malfunction and eventually total system failure. Two of the critical steps that water heater technicians take during maintenance appointments are emptying the water from the tank to clean out the sediment and checking for worn-out valves.
Natural mineral deposits separate into solid sediment when the water is heated inside the tank. When this sediment builds up, it causes problems for the water heater. By cleaning out the deposit around every six months, homeowners can prevent unnecessary repairs in the future.
There is a system of valves within water heaters that regulate the water flow. These valves are notorious for wearing out due to constant use. Replacing worn-out valves during maintenance appointments can help protect the system’s function and increase the water heater’s longevity.
Fix Broken Plumbing Yourself
Plumbing repair and installation can result in property damage or personal injury when not done by a qualified professional. Homeowners looking to tighten their budget may be tempted to attempt repairing broken plumbing fixtures on their own but end up spending more money in the long run when they need to call a plumbing repairer to fix the damage they have done.
When a plumbing installation is done incorrectly, it can cause utility bills to be unusually high due to the system running inefficiently. DIY installation can also void the plumbing hardware’s manufacturer warranty.
Trusting a professional plumber with installations and repairs protects the homeowner. Plumbers are required to undergo extensive training to obtain a license, and they are also required to have business insurance.
