Your plumbing pipes are working from the moment that the water is first turned on in your home. The water supply lines are always under pressure, and your drains are being used each time you turn on a water faucet, flush a toilet, or wash a load of laundry. And in most households, they never really get any attention or care until you experience an issue.
The problem is that without some care and proper maintenance, your pipes will fail long before the end of what should be their end of life, making that neglect a costly mistake. Fortunately, if you follow a few simple tips, you can substantially increase the life expectancy of both your water supply pipes and drain pipes. Here are six ways that you can decrease the potential for pipe leaks and issues in your home.
- Check Your Water Pressure- Excessively high water pressure is hard on your plumbing pipes and fixtures. It will cause unnecessary wear and tear and eventually leaks. The PSI in your home should never be above 85. If you have exceptionally high water pressure or think you might, call (214) 388-4525 and speak to the licensed plumbers at Metroplex Leak & Line about installing a pressure regulating valve on your home’s water supply to protect your pipes, fixtures, and appliances.
- Don’t Use Chemical Drain Cleaners- Chemical drain cleaners are caustic substances that are designed to eat away at clogs. Unfortunately, these are not smart liquids. And as a result, they often eat away at pipes equally as aggressively as they do pipe clogs. The only safe way to remove a drain clog is a professional drain cleaning that uses nothing but a pure water jet to scour away residue and clogs.
- Don’t Ignore Small Leaks- A tiny water leak never stays small. They always grow, and so does the cost to repair them. Leaking water corrodes pipes, damages your home, and can promote the growth of toxic black mold. Call in the licensed professionals from Metroplex Leak & Line as soon as you discover a water leak in your home.
- Proactive Professional Drain Cleaning- Residue and gunk build up in every drain pipe. And if that sticky mess is not removed regularly, there are going to be some nasty clogs in your future. It is also essential to understand that there is no do it yourself version of drain cleaning. This process requires a very expensive piece of equipment that creates a high-pressure jet of water. In addition, this equipment is only safe for drain pipes when used by a trained and highly skilled professional. If used incorrectly, it can destroy your drains. Call (214) 388-4525 to schedule an annual professional drain cleaning and know that you are investing in a year with no plumbing clogs or backups.
- Be Careful About What You Flush- Only a few things in this world are safe to flush down a toilet. Other than human waste, only toilet paper should ever be flushed. When it comes to clogging toilets, small wrappers, feminine hygiene products, moist wipes, baby wipes, paper towels, and q-tips are among the worst offenders. Toilet paper is designed to disintegrate when it is placed in water. But no other products have this ability. Instead, they form nasty clumps that clog your toilet and create a massive backup of sewage in your home. And the most severe clogs can cause pipes to burst, creating a flood of contamination in your walls and floors. Never flush anything but TP and waste to lengthen the life of your drain and sewer lines.
- Don’t Ignore Slow Drains- A slow clearing drain is your plumbing system’s way of telling you that there is a problem in the making. And as that blockage increases, it will also increase the pressure inside the drain pipe. This added pressure is a sure way to shorten the life of your drain pipes and incur some expensive repair bills.
Repiping your home is not a fun experience. So you will want to follow these six tips to ensure that your home’s plumbing pipes last as long as possible. Once you discover many small leaks and reoccurring clogs, there is no affordable or easy way to get around repiping because the damage is already done. Call in the professionals from Metroplex Leak & Line at the first sign of any plumbing problem and know that we will do everything possible to protect your home’s plumbing and it’s life expectancy.
