Quick Plumbing Tips to Keep Your Pipes Clean and Efficient

Plumbing involves dirty work that most homeowners avoid dwelling in. However, if your house is suffering from leaks, clogs, and pressure drops, it makes a lot of sense to contact a plumber, and it’s something that we don’t have the knowledge to do by ourselves.

Fortunately, you don’t need to learn a lot to do basic plumbing; there are many things you can do to check and fix simple issues before calling in for repairs and maintenance. Here are some quick plumbing tips to get you started.

Know Your Valves

When there are pipes, they are valves—knowing where your main valve is essential as a homeowner. The main valve is one valve usually located outside the house, and it controls the main water flow all around your home.

When water leaks or bursts happen, the first thing you should do is shut off the main valve, and pipes carry so much water pressure that prolonged leaks may cause more damage to the pipes. Turning it off avoids such damages and lets you properly assess the leak.

Take note that apartments and condominium units may not have their main valve; you may need to speak with a landlord or the management about accessing your valves.

Do Not Flush Anything

Toilets are the common victims of pipe clogging, and this is because of homeowners flushing down wipes and papers, which causes clogging as the toilet pipes are designed to transport excrements easily.

Instead of flushing down these items, use a separate bin with a trash bag inside to collect these wipes instead. Then, it’ll be easier for you to dispose of them and avoid these nasty toilet clogs.

Invest In a Good Plunger and Vacuums

Getting a good plunger is like getting a good knife; fast, efficient, and lasts for a long time. Plungers are your comprehensive tool for helping push down debris and avoid clogs in the toilet, tubs, and sinks. You can get your pipes cleaned by using plungers when doing some heavy cleaning instead of using a plunger when a clog happens. It is still better to avoid clogs whenever possible.

Additionally, if you have a sink-trap installed, cleaning it with a plunger before taking it out removes excess water and makes the whole process less messy. As for the vacuums, we recommend getting a wet-dry vacuum if the clog is caused by a hard object such as stone, combs, or other small items. Vacuums can pull them out quickly as plungers may push them further into the drain.

Get Your Old Pipes Relined

Like an old knife or toothbrush, worn downpipes need to be changed to avoid leaks and sanitation purposes. In plumbing, you can get a professional to do pipe relining.

Relining involves cleaning your old pipe out and creating a new pipe inside it. This is more of a cost-effective alternative than total replacement. Relining covers all possible leaks and bursts without the cost of a replacement, which can be troublesome at times.

Fortunately, relining is a standard service for plumbing companies like Mr Blue Plumbing. So if  you haven’t checked out your pipes for a long time, then it’s better to get in touch with a professional and lower down your costs and chances of future damages.

Over Tighten Pipes and Teflon tapes

At some point, we need to replace or install new pipes for various projects by ourselves. Part of having an efficient pipeline is installing it properly in the first place.

“Hand-tight is just right.” Remember this line when doing such plumbing projects. Unfortunately, many homeowners often close the pipes so tight that it causes more harm than good. When closing down connections, a good tip is to stop when you need more force to move the pipe around.

Also, don’t forget to use Teflon tapes when closing downpipes. A Teflon tape, or a plumber’s tape, is a white tape used as a sealant and helps air, gas, and liquids flow correctly in your pipes. When doing DIY plumbing, never forget these tapes, as you might have a pipe that does not have its sealant. 

Hot Water In Kitchen Pipes

A kitchen sink is subject to the daily burden of taking in items that cause them to clog. Food items, fat, and grease are often the culprits in most sink clogging.

We recommend using hot water on top of the mentioned plunger and a wet-dry vacuum when cleaning these pipes. Hot water works wonders against sticky grease, fat and softens down debris for a more straightforward cleaning process.

Final Thoughts

Cleaning your pipes is one of the mandatory tasks you’ll take as a homeowner. Unfortunately, it is grueling, and they frequently rely on professionals to do some of the work. However, with these easy tips above, you can confidently clean out your pipes by yourself.