Safety Tips
The following plumbing tips can be handy whether you are buying a new home or need to improve the existing plumbing systems in your home:
- Ensure that all drains have strainers so that hair, soap and other kind of debris don’t clog the drain lines.
- Small drips can waste gallons of water. Make sure you check under sinks for moisture or small leaks. Don’t avoid leaky faucets. Repair them straight away to prevent further damage to your fixtures and pipes.
- You should replace a water heater that is more than 15 years old. This will help you save on energy bills.
- If you live in a low lying area where sewers sometimes back up into homes, install a backflow valve in the floor drain.
- Water heaters & burners should be inspected at regular intervals. If the flame under the heater appears blue with yellow tip, it means the water heater is functioning properly. However, if it’s yellow, or sooty, it hints immediate action. You must contact a heating specialist.
- Make sure the garbage disposer and dishwasher connections are tight and leak free.
- In winters, make sure you disconnect water hoses. Water left in the hoses can freeze and expand, causing faucets and connecting pipes inside your home to break.
- You must clean your sump pump and pit. Pumps exposed to extreme cold can freeze, preventing the pump from operating.
- Set the water heater’s thermostat at 120 degrees F to prevent scalding and improve efficiency.
- Sink odors inside your garbage disposal occur due to food debris. To eliminate these odors, place ice cubes and lemon peels in the disposal and let it run for half a minute, then rinse it with cold water for about 20 seconds.
- Do not use chemical cleaners if you have metal pipes. Some chemical cleaners can cause metal pipes to rust.
- Boil a few gallons of water and pour it down the sink once in a month. Boiled water helps dissolve soapy, greasy materials that stick to the walls of your pipes.