Damaged plumbing is a major concern for most homeowners because leaks can cause significant damage to your home. Water damage can ruin furniture, flooring, and paint. It can also promote mold and mildew growth in your home.
Fortunately, there are a number of things that you can do to protect your plumbing in San Diego. Keep reading for a few tips on how to avoid a plumbing disaster.
1) Avoid Chemical Cleaners
If you notice that your drains are draining slowly, avoid chemical cleaners at all costs. Commercial drain cleaners contain chemicals that can dissolve organic material, but those same chemicals can stress or damage your pipes.
Instead, the best course of action to breaking up a clog is to use a drain snake to physically break apart the blockage. You can also get in touch with a plumber to remove the blockage through more effective specialized measures, like Hydrojetting.
2) Avoid Hybrid Piping
Most homes use metal pipes due to their durability, the most common being galvanized steel and copper. While both these types of metals are resistant to rust on their own, they can corrode if they come into contact with each out.
Special connectors have to be used to match up copper and steel pipes. However, it’s easier to simply use the same type of material for all of your pipes to prevent corrosion from occurring. This also means that your pipes all have a similar lifespan and do not have to be repaired one section at a time.
3) Remove Weight
If you have exposed pipes in your home, you should make sure that you aren’t using them to hang clothes or other items. Physical stress on the pipes will make joint failure much more likely.
Don’t allow any items to place weight on an exposed pipe, and try to keep the areas around exposed piping uncluttered. In the event of a leak, having easy access to an exposed pipe makes repairs much easier.
4) Install a Water Softener
If you notice a buildup of white, chalky material on your water fixtures, you have hard water. This calcium buildup will also collect in your pipes, restricting the diameter of the pipe and increasing your water pressure.
Higher water pressure will place additional stress on your plumbing and will also increase the risk of a leak. Installing a water softener on your San Diego water main can help reduce this stress.
5) Reduce Water Pressure
In a similar vein to the above point, you should measure your water pressure even if you don’t have hard water. You can measure your water pressure using a water pressure gauge.
If your water pressure is above 85 psi, you should call a San Diego plumber to install a water pressure regulator.
Maintain Your Plumbing In San Diego
The above steps are all important parts of maintaining your home’s plumbing system. The main takeaway is that you should be proactive in inspecting your plumbing system to notice issues before they grow serious.
If you’re worried about your plumbing in San Diego or want to schedule an inspection, get in touch with us at Happy Plumbing today! Our team of San Diego plumbers will be more than happy to help you avoid leaks and damage in your home.