How You Can Prevent Leaks, Clogs and Flood Damage

You rely on your home’s plumbing to support daily chores and plumbing fixtures, but unseen troubles can hide around every corner. Luckily, you can stop obstructions, leaking and floods with a little routine care. Here’s how to keep your plumbing in check and your stress levels low.

1. Know What Not to Put in the Drain

Your kitchen sink may be fitted with a garbage disposal, but certain food items still rather than dumped into the drain, such as:

• Cooking grease
• Fibrous foods like corn and celery
• Congealed food like cooked rice or coffee grounds
• Solid objects like gristle and bones
• Non-food items. Silverware and similar items may end up in the disposal and cause damage when you turn it on.

2. Know What Not to Flush

Toilets are designed to safely remove human waste and toilet paper. Here’s what you should never flush:

• Baby and/or wet wipes
• Paper towels
• Cotton balls and swabs
• Women’s hygiene products
• Baby diapers
• Dental floss
• Out-of-date medications

3. Use Mesh Strainers

A simple way to avoid clogging is to place sink strainers over your laundry, kitchen and bathroom drains. They collect hair, bits of soap, old toothpaste and other debris as water runs down the drain. Stick to a regular schedule when you clean these strainers to keep your drains flowing freely.

4. Know Where the Main Shutoff Valve Is Located

Being familiar with your plumbing system means knowing the location of your main water shutoff valve. This valve manages water flowing into your home, so knowing where it is means you can turn it off quickly in a plumbing emergency. It’s also wise to shut off this valve before leaving town for an extended period. Common locations for the main shutoff valve include the basement, near the water heater, in a utility closet or outside the home buried underground.

5. Get a Sump Pump

Installing a sump pump can really help prevent flooding, particularly in areas prone to heavy rainfall. This device extracts water that accumulates in its sump basin, generally installed in the floor of your basement, and drains it away from the house. For homes that already have a sump pump, test it regularly by dumping some water into the pit. If the pump activates and the pit drains, you’re all set. If it doesn’t work properly, you have time to call a professional to repair the pump before another rainstorm.

6. Install Flood Flood Alarms

Similar to how smoke alarms are essential for fire safety, flood alarms are useful for preventing water damage. These hardwired or battery-operated devices sense pooling water at the earliest stages of flooding or leaks, triggering an alarm to inform you. For even more protection, integrate smart flood alarms into your home security system. This notifies you on your phone after water has been detected, helping to deal with leaks before it leads to significant damage.

7. Add a Backflow Valve

Experienced plumbers often suggest that homeowners set up a backflow valve in the basement floor drain to prevent sewage from backing up into their homes during heavy rainfall. Professionals can set up this effective defense against sewage backflow.

Find and Avoid Leaks of All Sizes

Now that we’ve covered best practices and useful plumbing accessories, let’s review some preventive steps you can take to avoid leaks, or worse, burst pipes.

Most of your home plumbing system is concealed, so water issues often go unnoticed until they are capable of significant water damage. Regularly checking for leaks can help you catch issues early. Here are some ideas for you to try:

• Look under the sink for signs of standing water, rotting wood or mold growth.
• Find tiny leaks in any of your toilets by squeezing a few drops of dye to the tank. If the color shows up in the bowl after 30 minutes without flushing, you’ve got a leak.
• Check around and behind your appliances, including the dishwasher or washing machine, for signs of water damage or leaking.
• Conduct a water meter test.
  • First off, close off all water in your home via the home’s water main.
  • Then, head outside to read the water meter. Check one more time after two hours, and do your best not to use any water before the test is done.
  • If the reading changes, it means there’s a leak somewhere.

Do Everything You Can to Avoid Frozen Pipes

In climates with cold winters, helping protect vulnerable pipes is crucial to prevent freezing and bursting. Here are some tips:

• Cover pipes in the appropriate insulation in unfinished spaces like the basement, garage or attic using foam tubing or heating tape.
• Unhook garden hoses from outdoor faucets throughout the winter to keep ice from forming inside the pipes.
• Keep all cabinets with plumbing pipes open during freezing temperatures to keep warm air circulating around the pipes.

Partner with a Trusted Plumber

While you can take many preventive steps yourself to help prevent clogs, leaks and flood damage, sometimes it takes an experienced plumber to keep things flowing smoothly. That’s where can help. We work with some of the best plumbers offering residential plumbing support from coast to coast with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. If you’re not completely happy with our services by next year, we will do everything we can to make it right. This industry-leading dedication shows how we strive to make a meaningful difference in your life. For Expert plumbing service that exceeds expectations, please contact us today