We often receive phone calls from our customers regarding preventable plumbing emergencies. To save you stress, time, and money, we compiled advice from our top Phoenix plumbers on simple steps you can take to preserve the health of your plumbing system (and bank account!).
It’s not just our staff. Any experienced Phoenix plumber will tell you emergency can strike any time, often when you least expect it. Don’t meet disaster head on; avoid it altogether. The most common preventable measures you can take to preserve your plumbing system include:
- Don’t pour grease down the kitchen sink: Perhaps the biggest plumbing no-no our Phoenix plumbers warn our customers about is pouring cooking grease down the kitchen drain. Grease sediment builds up not just in your plumbing, but also in the pipes that support your entire neighborhood. When this happens, all the wastewater running through those pipes doesn’t make it to a treatment facility. Worst of all, this untreated water can find its way back inside your home and the homes of your neighbors. So, next time you’re in a bacon coma, don’t mistakenly pour that grease down your kitchen drain! Your neighbors will thank you for it.
- Never use chemical drain cleaners: Any respectable Phoenix plumber will warm you about the harmful effects of using chemical drain cleaners in your pipes. Any chemical you pour down a drain can wreak havoc on your plumbing system after just one use. Because although potent chemical cleaners eat away at clogs, they also eat away at your pipes. Such cleaners can dissolve small holes in your plumbing, potentially subjecting your entire system to costly damage. Besides, not only are these cleaners bad for your entire plumbing system, they are also toxic and harmful to the environment. Our Phoenix plumbers recommend that you use a homemade, environmentally-friendly drain cleaner that contains baking soda, warm water and vinegar before you opt for commercial products like Drano. If a clog persists, contact a Phoenix plumber. For the most part, snaking a drain is the best way to remove a clog. Plus, it’s fairly inexpensive.
- Reduce hard water:Arizona is home to some of the hardest water in the country. Although no studies indicate that high levels of mineral content in water are necessarily unhealthy, they are confirmedly harmful to plumbing systems. According to city statistics, the average hardness level of the water throughout the City of Phoenix is 16.5 grains per gallon (gpg). This hard water calcifies inside your plumbing system and considerably shortens the lifespan of your pipes and home appliances. Our Phoenix plumbers advice our customers to install a water softener on the water main entering their homes. Water softeners can be somewhat costly up front; however, they drastically extend the life of intricate plumbing systems and expensive home appliances.
- Watch what you flush: Knowing what is acceptable to flush down a toilet seems inherently understood, but time and time again our Phoenix plumbers receive house calls to service compromised plumbing systems that resulted from toilets being used as trash cans. Things that should never be flushed include sanitary napkins, condoms, tissues, dental floss, cotton swabs, and diapers. We’ll spare you some of the other “items” we have found in our time as plumbers as long as you promise to only use your toilets for what they were intended for. We’ll let you have your privacy.
Most plumbing predicaments can be solved with simple maintenance and every day TLC. By taking the following plumbing advice to heart you can avoid unnecessary service calls and extend the life of your plumbing system and home appliances. Contact All About Water today for additional plumbing advice or to schedule a maintenance appointment with one of our skilled Phoenix, AZ plumbers.