The more densely populated a region is, the more plumbing problems everyone is going to experience. Sharing a Queens building, even sharing a block with a few hundred other people puts a lot of stress on your pipes from the city water mains to the individual unit plumbing. If you have been fighting your drains and faucets lately or just want to learn a few best practices for maintaining the pipes in your Queens home, here are a few Queens plumber tips. While you have a moment to sit back and read something useful and entertaining, let’s go through the top ten pieces of advice your Queens plumber would give if they held seminars or recorded public service announcements.
Use a Drain Screen
How many times have your drain problems been the simple result of too much hair or debris down the drain? More often than not, there is no need for these clogging materials to go down with the water. Place a small drain screen over each of your drains to catch hair and other clogging tidbits. This will keep your drains clear and reduce the debris that can gather to form a clog.
Do Not Pour Grease Down the Drains
Nothing is worse for pipes than pouring your hot cooking grease down the drain. It may be liquid when you pour it, but soon enough in cold drains, it will turn to a disgusting semi-solid waterproof seal, especially if it settles on an already nearly complete clog of hair and another build-up. Keep the grease out of the sink.
Lay Off the Chemicals
The vast majority of home drain treatments and toilet cleaning solutions are harsh chemicals. While these may feel like they are doing something useful, in reality, these chemicals are more likely to be doing some serious damage to your pipes even as they burn away a clog. Do not use chlorine tablets in your toilet and please do not use Draino in your drains. Try a little white vinegar instead, you might be surprised by the results.
Be Conservative With the Garbage Disposal
The garbage disposal is supposed to be there to make sure that you can rinse plates quickly, not to act as a second trash can. Trash and copious leftovers should not go down the garbage disposal, and overuse can cause bad clogs further down the line in your plumbing or for your building neighbors.
Do Not Flush Non-Toilet Objects
There are three things that go down the toilet. Toilet paper, and the things it helps you deal with. Paper towels, baby wipes, q-tips, and most feminine hygiene products cannot and should not go down the toilet unless you want to see some gnarly clogs later on. Respect your toilet, so you do not wind up spending half a day plunging it or have to call a plumber to deal with careless bathroom choices.
Keep an Eye on Appliances
Your water-running appliances like the washer, dishwasher, and coffee maker can sometimes be an early indication that there is something wrong with your plumbing or they themselves can become the problem. Keep a careful watch on your appliances and look out for signs like leaks, bad smells, or the sound of running water when nothing should be running.
Know Your DIY Capabilities
Especially as internet searches make it easier to look up and try things, modern plumbers are constantly bring called in to solve problems caused by amateur DIY plumbing attempts. If you want to work with your plumber instead of against them, know your limits and choose your projects carefully.
Turn Off the Water for Vacations
Most of the time, your home will be perfectly fine when you return from vacation, but there are still many things that could go wrong with the plumbing system in an unattended house. Just to be on the safe side, turn off your water at the main line connection before leaving for more than a few days.
Maintain Your Water Heater
Your water heater is an essential part of the entire plumbing system and hooks up to almost every water connection in the house. That said, most homeowners forget that they need any maintenance at all. Make sure to get your water heater inspected and flushed about twice a year.
Call Before a Disaster
Finally, the one thing all plumbers wish homeowners and residents knew, is to call before something turns into a complete disaster. Notice a leak? Call a plumber before you try to DIY the fix. If at all possible, catch plumbing issues early and call an expert while there is still time to mitigate the damage.
Whether you live in a tiny apartment or your own single-family home, plumbing is an incredibly important part of comfortable modern life. If you want to be on the right side of both your Queens plumbing and your plumber, keep your pipes well maintained and call for help in a timely manner. For more great plumbing tips, contact Kew Forest Plumbing today.
