Putting a Stop to Leaking, Flooding and Clogs

You rely on your home’s plumbing system to support daily chores and plumbing fixtures, but potential problems can hide in many places. Thankfully, you can prevent obstructions, leaks and floods with a little routine care. Here’s how to keep your plumbing in check and your stress levels low.

1. Know What Not to Put in the Drain

Many kitchen sinks may be outfitted with a garbage disposal, but certain food items still not rinsed down the drain, including:

• Cooking grease
• Stringy foods like corn cobs and celery stalks
• Sticky foods like cooked rice or coffee grounds
• Tough pieces of food such as fruit pits and bones
• Anything that isn’t edible. Silverware and similar items can fall into the disposal and damage something when you turn it on.

2. Understand What Shouldn’t Be Flushed

Toilets are designed to handle human waste and toilet paper. Here’s what you should never flush:

• Baby and/or wet wipes
• Paper towels
• Cotton balls and swabs
• Sanitary products
• Baby diapers
• Dental floss
• Out-of-date medications

3. Utilize Mesh Strainers

A simple way to avoid a clog is to place drain strainers over your laundry, kitchen and shower drains. They catch hair, pieces of soap, old toothpaste and other debris as water runs down the drain. Regularly clean these strainers to keep your drains working properly.

4. Find the Main Shutoff Valve

Being knowledgeable about your plumbing system means knowing the location of your main water shutoff valve. This valve regulates water coming into your home, so knowing where it is means you can turn it off quickly in a plumbing emergency. It’s also wise to shut off this valve before traveling for an extended period. Common locations for the main shutoff valve include the basement, near the water heater, in a utility closet or outside the home under the ground.

5. Add a Sump Pump to Your Basement

Installing a sump pump helps prevent floods, especially in regions prone to lots of rain. This device removes water that gathers in its sump basin, generally installed in the floor of your basement, and expels it away from the house. For homeowners who already have a sump pump, make sure it’s in good shape by adding some water into the pit. As long as the pump activates and the pit drains, it’s working fine. If it doesn’t work properly, you have time to call a professional to repair your sump pump before another big thunderstorm rolls through.

6. Set Up Flood Alarms

Just as smoke alarms are a big part of good fire safety, flood alarms can help avoid water damage. These hardwired or battery-operated devices detect water at the earliest stages of flooding or leaks, sounding an alarm to inform you. For enhanced protection, include smart flood alarms into your home security system. This notifies you on your phone if water has been detected, enabling you to resolve leaking pipes before they cause significant damage.

7. Add a Backflow Valve

Another helpful plumbing tip is to install a backflow valve in the basement floor drain to stop sewage from flowing back into their homes during heavy rainfall. A professional plumber can fit this effective defense against sewage flowing back into the house.

Find and Prevent Leaking

Now that we’ve covered best practices and useful plumbing accessories, let’s review some preventive steps you can take to avoid leaks, or worse, burst pipes.

Most of your home plumbing system is hidden, so leaks often go unnoticed until they are capable of significant water damage. Regularly checking for leaks can help you identify problems quickly. Here are some ideas for you to try:

• Inspect under the sink for signs of standing water, wood rot or mildew.
• Find slow leaks in any of your toilets by putting in some drops of dye to the tank. If the color shows up in the bowl after 30 minutes without flushing, there is a leak.
• Examine around and behind your appliances, including the dishwasher or washing machine, for signs of water damage or leaks.
• Conduct a water meter test.
  • First, close off all water in your home via the home’s water main.
  • Then, head outside to check the water meter. Check one more time in two hours, being careful not to use any water before the second reading.
  • If the reading changes, you know there’s a leak somewhere.

Protect Your Pipes from Freezing

In climates with cold winters, helping protect your pipes is a good part of any plan to avoid freezing and bursting. Here is what you can do:

• Wrap the pipes in insulation in unheated areas like the basement, garage or attic with foam tubing or heating tape.
• Unhook garden hoses from their spigots all through the winter to stop ice from forming inside the pipes.
• Keep your cabinet doors under the sink open during frigid weather to keep warm air circulating around the pipes.

Partner with a Trusted Plumber

While you can carry out many preventive steps on your own to stop clogs, leaks and flood damage, it’s never a bad idea to have a professional touch to keep things flowing smoothly. That’s where comes in. We work with some of the best plumbers offering residential plumbing support from coast to coast with service backed by a 100% satisfaction guarantee. If you’re not completely happy with our services after one year, we promise to make it right. This promise shows how we deliver total comfort and peace of mind in your life. For Expert plumbing service that exceeds expectations, please contact us today