Your plumbing is an incredibly useful facet of your household! Depending on the level of maintenance it receives, preventative measures can help your plumbing prevent unnecessary (and expensive) water loss. If you notice a sudden spike in your utility bills, it may be indicative of damaged plumbing. Al Bourgeois Plumbing has seen it all and offers regular maintenance services to help you prevent expensive plumbing blunders. Read on to learn about handy money-saving plumbing tips you can implement today!
Stop Money from “Going Down the Drain”
Drips and leaks may seem small, but they can lead to astronomical utility bill costs. But leaky faucets are not the only money-draining plumbing possibility. You can save money through kitchen utilities as well as bathroom and outdoor plumbing. The following are some easy ways to save money by regularly monitoring your plumbing appliances.
Plumbing Tips: Save Money with Your Kitchen Plumbing
Your kitchen hosts some of the most frequently used water and plumbing devices! Garbage disposals, faucets, drains, and dishwashers all affect your utility bills and can all be monitored to maximize water use.
Drain Maintenance. There are tons of plumbing tips to help save money with your plumbing! Your drains are one of the most fickle fixtures because a seemingly innocent clog can end up costing lots of money. Remember to keep fats and oils far away from your drains and avoid using harsh chemical drain cleaners. Always tell your plumber if you used a chemical drain cleaner before they arrive to check your plumbing.
Check Your Faucets. If you have a little time on your hands, go around your house and check your faucets! Make sure they’re turned all the way off and see if there are any wayward drips. If your fully closed tap continues to drip, call Al Bourgeois! Regular plumbing maintenance can help you avoid high utility bills!
Clean the Dishwasher. It may sound a little counterproductive to have to clean the machine that’s literal job is to clean dishes. However, your dishwasher can still clog! Get in the habit of checking the drain and cleaning the dishwasher trap. For the drain, remove food or other possible clogs and run the garbage disposal (if they share a drain) to clear the drain entirely. For the dishwasher trap, regularly remove the food pieces that did not make it into the drain.
Garbage Disposal Dangers. One way to save money on plumbing is through preventative maintenance. There are a lot of items that can cause serious harm if they go down the garbage disposal, such as grease, coffee grinds, and chicken bones.
Toilet Etiquette: Protect Your Bathroom Plumbing
Bathroom plumbing is where the real trials arise. Guests or children flush weird things down the toilet. Your sink is making weird noises. But fear not. There’s plenty you can do to prevent serious bathroom plumbing issues.
Watch What you Flush. Obviously, you should avoid flushing non-flushable items down the toilet. Plumbers around the world have found crazy items in people’s plumbing, such as diapers, dentures, and drugs! But many people don’t know that innocuous items, such as floss and hair, can seriously clog your plumbing! Modern dental floss is shed-resistant and won’t break down in your pipes, meaning it can create a tangled ball of chaos and solidify in your pipes!
Test Your Toilet for Leaks. It’s easy to check your toilet for leaks! Simply drip a few drops of food coloring in the tank. If within 10-15 minutes you see the food coloring in your toilet bowl, you have a toilet leak. Regularly checking for leaks can help you prevent unnecessary water loss.
Check for Sneaky Leaks. As you may have gathered, leaks are the primary culprit for plumbing-related high utility bills. Sometimes, leaks are more subtle and cannot be spotted by the naked eye. If you suspect you may have a sneaky leak, take advantage of your water meter by running this simple test. Check the water meter at the beginning and end of an hour, during which time no water has been used. If the water meter changes, you may have a leak!
Protect Your Pipes: Burst Water Pipes
Small, inconvenient leaks are one thing. But sometimes plumbing takes an unexpected, devastating turn. Preventative care can help prevent plumbing disasters such as burst pipes, which can cause thousands of dollars in water damage. You can regularly monitor your home’s water pressure by using a pressure gauge, or by having a professional install a water pressure regulator. Another way to protect your pipes is by checking your exterior faucets and hot water heaters. Ask Al Bourgeois if a water pressure regulator is necessary for your home!
Call Al Bourgeois Plumbing for Plumbing Tips and Maintenance
For all of these plumbing issues (and more), contact Al Bourgeois Plumbing! Plumbing accidents happen, and they can end up being more costly than you’d expect. Keep utility costs down and plumbing catastrophes at bay, with regular maintenance from Al Bourgeois Plumbing! Contact Al Bourgeois Plumbing today to request a service!