No homeowner wants to be stuck with a plumbing system that’s constantly riddled with problems. Fortunately, keeping your home’s plumbing in the best condition possible is actually much easier than you think. Just follow the tips provided below!
1. Use drain covers in your shower and kitchen sink.
Using drain covers is a great way to prevent unwanted objects from entering your plumbing in the first place. You’ll be surprised at just how much hair a shower drain catches after only a couple of days. A drain cover for your kitchen sink is also important because it can prevent large pieces of food from going down the drain and causing clogs or foul smells.
2. Switch from bar soap to body wash.
Body wash is “heathier” for your home’s plumbing than bar soap. Bar soap produces a lot of soap scum that coats the walls of your home’s drainage pipes, which can eventually result in clogs. Body wash remains liquid and travels much more easily through your home’s plumbing.
3. Keep grease and cooking oils out of your drains.
Once you pour grease or cooking oils down the drain, they will often solidify farther down in your home’s plumbing without making it to the main sewer line. If this buildup of grease continues, you can wind up with a nasty clog deep down where a plunger can’t dislodge it.
4. Run hot water down your kitchen drain after washing dishes.
While it’s possible to keep most of the grease from cooking out of your kitchen drain, there will still be a little left on the dishes and cookware that you wash. To prevent this grease from building up in your drains, run hot water down the drain for about 15-20 seconds after washing dishes.
5. Refrain from using caustic/corrosive chemical drain cleaners.
It’s difficult to control how long chemical drain cleaners remain in your home’s plumbing. The longer these chemicals remain and react inside of your pipes, the more likely they are to start causing damage. If there’s a clog in one of your drains, use a plunger or drain snake to dislodge it, or contact a plumber for professional drain clearing services.
6. Don’t use your toilet as a wastebasket.
Toilets and plumbing pipes are designed to handle toilet paper and human bodily waste. Flushing anything else (even products that claim to be flushable) can wreak havoc on your home’s plumbing. Even flushing items similar to toilet paper, such as facial tissue and paper towels, can cause a major issue because these products don’t break down as easily as toilet paper does when in contact with water.
If you encounter any issues with your plumbing, you can count on the experts at EZ Flow plumbing. Our team is dedicated to helping customers throughout the Mesa, Chandler, and Gilbert areas with all of their plumbing needs.