The holiday season generates lots of business for plumbers, as all of those houseguests and cooking sprees overtax systems. Fortunately, there are simple things you can do year-round to protect your home’s pipes, and hopefully stave off disaster.
Prepare for the worst
If a pipe bursts or your toilet overflows, quickly stopping the flow of water can prevent extensive damage.
Make sure everyone in your household knows where to find — and how to use — the main water shutoff valve. If you don’t know where yours is, ask a plumber to give you a tour. Then label it, and include instructions for turning it off.
Once or twice a year, test the valve to make sure it works properly.
Check for leaks
Periodically inspect and test the shutoff valves for exposed pipes, your water heater and each toilet and faucet. Regularly check ceilings and walls for signs of water damage. If you find a leak, have it repaired immediately.
Also, every few months, clear out the clutter underneath your kitchen and bathroom sinks, turn on the taps and your garbage disposal, and look for leaks.
If you have a septic-tank system, have it inspected regularly by a licensed professional.
Watch washing machine hoses
To avoid laundry room floods, check rubber washing machine hoses for blistering, stress cracks, wear or loose connections. Consider replacing rubber hoses with their reinforced steel braided counterparts, which are less likely to fail.
Never dispose of grease in the sink
Grease solidifies in pipes, leading to blockages, clogs and backups underneath your sink and down the line. Over time, hardened grease traps food particles and other debris, which can cause slow drainage, bad smells and expensive plumbing repairs.
Protect tub and shower drains
If you don’t have a screen built into your tub or shower drain, for a few bucks you can purchase an insert that will prevent hair from clogging up the works.
If you do get a clog, know that chemical drain cleaners are extremely dangerous. They use corrosive chemicals like sulfuric acid or sodium hydroxide to break down blockages. Pay close attention to package directions and warning labels. When pouring the cleaner into a drain, avert your face and wear eye protection. If a drain is completely clogged, do not use a chemical cleaner, which likely will produce a large pool of highly caustic water. Also, using a drain cleaner on completely clogged drains may simply add to the blockage.
Consider nonabrasive cleaners for your tubs and sinks (try a vinegar and baking soda solution) and use a snake to clear clogged drains. Never use chemical drain cleaners in toilets; they can damage the porcelain, compromise the wax seal, and soften PVC pipes.
Forestall freeze-ups
To prevent water pipes from freezing — and possibly bursting — use insulation to cover anything that runs through an attic, crawlspace, exterior walls or unheated basement. If a certain section of pipe is highly susceptible to freezing, use electric heat tape to keep it warm.
During winter, shut off the water supply to outside spigots (the valves will be inside the home), remove hoses attached to the house, then turn on the spigots to drain remaining water from the pipes.
If you will be away from home during winter, do not completely shut off your heating system; instead, set your thermostat to a low temp.
Water heater TLC
Periodically check the temperature setting of your water heater. Most models should be set between 120 and 140 degrees. Running the burner at the lower end of that range saves energy and extends the life of the appliance.
Mind your toilets
Slow toilet leaks silently waste gallons of water every day. To check yours, add a dozen drops of food coloring to the tank. Come back in an hour; if the color is gone or has made its way into the bowl, you have a leak. You might need to change a worn rubber flapper or diaphragm seal, or adjust the fill valve or ballcock (that big round thing attached to a rod). There are lots of videos online that explain how to do this, and parts are generally inexpensive.
Toilet paper and well, you know, are all that should go in the toilet, ever. To avoid clogs, don’t flush baby wipes, paper towels, feminine products, disposable diapers, cat litter, hair, or anything else.
Use care with your garbage disposal
Heed warnings in your garbage disposal’s operating manual. Many models can become clogged if you try to dispose of coffee grounds, uncooked rice, etc. Avoid turkey bones, fruit pits and other hard materials that can jam the disposal and damage the blades. Eggshell membranes have been known to wrap around blades, and tough vegetable peels can be problematic. When in doubt, throw it out, rather than running it through the disposal.
And always run a steady stream of water when you’re using the disposal. Otherwise, the drainpipe can get backed up.
Free floor drains
Test your indoor floor drains by pouring water into them periodically to avoid expensive backups. Make sure outdoor drains aren’t covered or clogged with leaves and other debris.
If you need a pro, choose carefully
Plumbers vary greatly in service quality and price. When our undercover shoppers collected prices for the same routine jobs, some plumbers quoted fees three times higher than their competitors’.
Fortunately, you can hire a lower-priced plumber who provides top-quality service. Companies that received the highest ratings in our surveys of consumers were just as likely to charge low prices as the not-so-great ones.
If you need repairs, explain exactly what’s wrong; the best way to do that is to text or email pics of the problem. Then ask the company how it computes its charges and, if possible, request a price estimate. Confirm this information with the plumber upon arrival.
For installation and remodeling jobs, be sure to get multiple bids — you may save thousands of dollars on a large project by getting just a handful of prices.
Kevin Brasler is executive editor of Washington Consumers’ Checkbook and Checkbook.org, a nonprofit organization with a mission to help consumers get the best service and lowest prices. It is supported by consumers and takes no money from the service providers it evaluates. You can access Checkbook’s ratings of local plumbers free until Jan. 10 at Checkbook.org/WashingtonPost/plumbers.
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