Water pipes in a home are components that are not often thought about until something goes wrong. If something does go wrong with your water pipes, it can be catastrophic and expensive. Performing some simple maintenance tasks can help you avoid serious problems and extend the lifespan of your water pipes by a considerable amount. Here are five great tips for maintaining your home’s water pipes.
1. Watch What Goes Down the Drains
Clogs can cause the wastewater in your home’s pipes to back up, putting unnecessary pressure on the pipes and reducing their lifespan. The best way to prevent clogs in the pipes is to watch what you put down the drains. Drain covers can be used to keep pipe-clogging food scraps, hair, and other debris from going into the drains.
2. Choose the Chemicals You Use Carefully
There are a wide variety of chemical products on the market that are commonly used to clean or remove clogs from pipes. Some of these products contain harsh chemicals, like bleach and lye, which can damage the pipes with repeated use. Clogs that cannot be handled with an environmentally friendly product and a plunger should be tackled by a professional plumber with the proper tools and experience in clogged pipe clearing.
3. Insulate the Pipes
While the temperature in Mesquite, TX rarely dips below freezing, when the cold weather comes, it can cause the water in your home’s pipes to expand, putting additional pressure on them. Insulating the pipes with pipe sleeves, heat tape, or other insulating materials will ensure that cold weather will not cause the water in the pipes to freeze. Insulating the pipes also has the benefit of making your house more energy-efficient, with the hot pipes retaining their heat and the cold pipes remaining cold.
4. Use Water Softeners When Needed
Hard water, or water with high mineral content, is damaging to water pipes over time. Minerals like calcium and magnesium can cause corrosion and build up to the point where they restrict the flow of water through the pipes. Water softeners remove these minerals, giving you purer water that will not be so harmful to your pipes.
5. Ensure Pipes Are Securely Fastened
Water pipes that are not securely fastened often make a banging sound when the water going through them is turned on or off. This banging is the sound of the pipe vibrating against a hard object, which increases the wear and tear on the pipe and may result in the pipe breaking. Flow Plumbing’s team of professional plumbers can identify exactly where the sound is coming from and present you with a plan to remedy the issue.
Conclusion
Proper maintenance and some preventative measures will keep your water pipes working optimally for a long time. If any issues are noted, they should be remedied as fast as possible to prevent further damage. At Flow Plumbing, we have the tools and training to diagnose and repair problems with water pipes quickly and efficiently. Contact us today to schedule a consultation!
