Most people don’t have the time, expertise, or, frankly, the desire to fix plumbing problems on their own. Unless it’s a quick snake or tightening of a pipe, many homeowners prefer to leave any plumbing work to a specialist. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with this approach. In fact, most of the time, letting a professional handle your plumbing repairs is the best thing to do. However, there are a few easy things you can do yourself to help keep your plumbing system in good shape.
Follow these preventative maintenance tips below to avoid future problems and reduce the number of calls you’ll make to the plumber!
Know where your shut-off valves are.
All of your major appliances have a shut-off valve, as does your main water line. It’s important that you know where all of these are located. This knowledge will be important in case you need to perform maintenance, discover a leak, or are faced with a plumbing emergency, such as a burst pipe.
Have a plumbing toolbox on hand.
Any plumbing issues you detect that can be handled with a quick DIY fix should be taken care of promptly. In order to do that, you’ll need to have some basic plumbing tools available. A few items to include in your plumbing toolbox are a good plunger, plumber’s wrench, closet auger, slip-joint pliers, and tubing cutter, just to name a few.
Address clogged drains right away.
As soon as you notice any of your drains getting slower, flush them with a mixture of hot water and vinegar and/or baking soda. This noncorrosive solution won’t damage your pipes and, more importantly, will clear them out before the clog gets bigger and causes more damage. Even if your drains aren’t running noticeably slow, it’s a good idea to flush them with this kind of solution every 1-3 months anyway.
Conduct regular system checks.
Inspecting major plumbing components regularly will allow you to catch small problems before they become bigger, more complicated, and more expensive. Make it a point to routinely check things like external pipes and appliance hoses for leaks, your yard for soft spots, water pressure, and your water heater to see if it needs to be cleaned. It might be helpful to create a checklist and tackle it once per month.
If you suspect you may have discovered a water leak as you’re going about your regular plumbing maintenance, call the experts at Inland Empire Leak Detection in Riverside. We’ll do a free leak inspection to identify the problem, then discuss our non-invasive and cost-effective repair options to get everything working like new again.
Call us today at 951-442-5339 to get started with your free leak detection test!
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