It might be stating the obvious, but your home’s plumbing is rather important to day-to-day life.
There’s likely not a day that goes by where you don’t utilize your faucets, drains, hot water system… the list goes on. So when an aspect of your plumbing fails, it can throw a real wrench into your routine.
Dishes piling up, no more hot showers, or an even worse nightmare, dirty water backing up in your drains.
That’s all to say, it’s best to be proactive about maintaining your plumbing. Our Arroyo Grande plumbers have come up with a list of four routine plumbing maintenance tips to keep the water on and flowing smoothly.
1. Check for Leaks Inside and Outside.
A leak is not only a sign of trouble – but also costs you money. Inspect under sinks, all faucets and showerheads, yards for pooling water or moist ground, around your washing machine, the dishwasher, toilets and the water heater for signs of leaks, which can include not only pooling water but also water stains.
A leak could mean:
- Seals around connections are worn or broken.
- Pipes are clogged, overflowing or they’ve burst.
- Pipes are corroded and rusting.
- Water pressure is too high.
- Tree roots are intruding and damaging your pipes.
2. Prevent Clogs Before They Start.
Clogs are a common plumbing issue, but with preventative maintenance, you can stop them before they start. Here are some dos and don’ts when it comes to clogs:
- Use drain guards to catch large debris from going down sinks.
- Hire a plumber annually to clean out drains because it’s common over time for food, debris and soap scum to build up in your drains.
- Don’t pour grease down your drains.
- Don’t put just anything down your garbage disposal; they’re not equipped to handle fruit pits, rice, pasta or eggshells.
3. Maintain Your Water Heater.
Your hot water heater is the workhorse appliance of your house, and it’s common to forget about it until you get a cold-water shock.
There are a number of steps to take to ensure your hot water heater keeps working as it should, including checking the heating element, draining the tank and testing the temperature-pressure relief valve.
Check out our water heater maintenance blog for more tips.
4. Prevent Frozen Pipes.
Yes, we live in California, and yes summer is almost here. But there are areas where freezing temperatures at night are common – even on the sunny Central Coast.
To prevent your pipes from freezing and bursting, do the following:
- Turn off sprinklers and outdoor faucets when the weather turns cold.
- Use frost-proof faucets outside of your house with the shut-off valve extending into the house to prevent freezing.
- Consider adding insulation to outdoor faucets, as well as pipes in your crawl space and basement.
For more helpful Arroyo Grande plumbing maintenance tips or assistance with leaks, clogs or any other plumbing problems, call Griffin Plumbing at 805-934-1949 today!
