Need A Plumber? How To Prevent Plumbing Problems | Buckhead, GA
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If you want to avoid spending a fortune on repairs and keep your home looking great, you need to take good care of your plumbing system. One simple plumbing problem could cause serious damage to your home, leaving you with water damage and a hefty plumbing repair bill. The good news is, there are steps you can take as a homeowner to prevent those problems and save yourself time and money. If you just moved into a new home and want to prevent plumbing problems so you don’t have to hire a plumber, here’s how you can do it.
Drain Clogs
While you might not think of a clogged drain as a major plumbing problem, drain clogs are one of the most annoying problems to deal with. Plus, a clogged drain can cause serious damage to your plumbing system if you don’t get it fixed right away. Fortunately, preventing drain clogs so you don’t have to call a plumber is one of the simplest things you can do.
As far as what you put down your drains goes, do your best to avoid large, solid objects. In the kitchen, you should throw as much food as you can in the garbage can instead of the disposal. In the bathroom, you should only flush toilet paper and install drain catches in the sink and shower to keep hair and soap from getting in the drain and causing clogs.
You can also do some simple maintenance to help prevent drain clogs. All you need is an enzyme-based drain cleaner instead of a chemical-based one like Drano. Simply follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer when you notice a drain starting to slow down and you can easily save yourself some money on a plumber.
Water Heater
If you’re like most homeowners, hot water is an important part of your daily routine. From the moment you wake up in the morning and hop in the shower, you expect to have the luxury of hot water. The problem is, water heaters aren’t designed to last all that long, especially if you don’t take good care of them.
The best way to prevent water heater problems and ensure you always have hot water is to have your water heater flushed every once in a while. Most professionals recommend a water heater flush once every six months, although even a yearly flush will go a long way.
It’s also important to understand how long your water heater should last. Since most water heaters have an expected lifespan of about 10 to 12 years, you want to keep a close eye on yours around that time or simply replace it before it causes you any problems.
Burst Pipes
As winter approaches and the temperatures in Buckhead, GA, start to drop a bit, you have to consider how that affects your plumbing system. Burst pipes are one of the biggest risks during winter because they’re a result of the water inside a pipe freezing. You can prevent this by having a plumber help you prepare your home for winter to prevent burst pipes.
Making sure things are properly insulated is the first step to avoiding burst pipes. If you have pipes running through an exterior wall or in a garage or other outdoor building, it’s a good idea to insulate them to make sure they aren’t at risk of freezing. If you still have problems with pipes freezing, you need to have a professional wrap them in a heat cable to manually raise the temperature and prevent freezing.
You also need to make sure your hose bib is turned off, drained and covered. If you leave water in an outdoor faucet, that faucet can freeze and burst just like a regular pipe. A plumber can get your hose bib prepared for winter by getting all the water out and covering it with an insulated cover.
Leaks
You might not think there’s a whole lot you can do to avoid leaks in your plumbing system, but that’s not true. There are actually state-of-the-art smart leak detection systems that you can connect to your plumbing system to get an alert as soon as you’ve got a leak.
While you don’t have to have a smart leak detection system, it’s the best way to prevent leaks from getting too bad. If there’s a change in the flow of water that indicates you’ve got a leak, you’ll get an alert on your smartphone so you can take care of it.
Odors
Since your drains are connected to a sewer system, it’s no surprise that there are some odors that have the potential to enter your home. Thankfully, you have traps that are designed to prevent that from happening. As long as these traps have a little bit of water in them, you don’t have to worry about a nasty sewer odor entering your home.
If you do smell an odor coming from a drain in your home, have a plumber take a look at your trap to make sure it’s still got water. Sometimes, simply pouring a bucket of water down a drain can wet the trap and get rid of the odor. If the issue still persists after you have a plumber wet your trap, you may need a section of pipe replaced.
Call Us Now
Spending money on repairs and maintenance is one of the hardest parts about owning a home, but routine service can save you a bundle on plumbing service. Having a plumber check out, fix and prevent problems is a great way to save time and money.
Whether you’ve got a plumbing problem or simply need a little bit of maintenance, Peach Plumbing & Drain can help. We’ve been serving customers in the Buckhead, GA, area for years, so we know how to tackle every plumbing problem. To find out more or schedule a service appointment with a plumber today, call us at (678) 995-5082.