How to Prevent Common Plumbing Problems in Your Home

If you’re a homeowner in Calgary, there are many steps you can take to extend the life of your pipes and plumbing fixtures, saving yourself the hassle of dealing with unnecessary plumbing problems. You may need the help of qualified Calgary plumbing services to help you, but some of these preventative measures you can implement yourself. If you take these steps now, you’ll help to maintain a good water flow in your pipes, and lessen the chance of any future emergency plumbing problems from occurring. First however, it’s crucial that you understand how your piping system functions in order to know the cause of your plumbing problems, and be aware of any unusual plumbing issues in your home.

Slab Leaks – A slab leak will generally be cause by holes or cracks in your pipes, a loose pipe connection, are a fully ruptured pipe. Unfortunately this may only be noticeable when enough water leaks and rises up to form puddles on your floor and create damage.

These leaks and cracks can be commonly caused by the chemical composition of your water, which could react poorly with your copper pipes. This constant flow of water through the pipes can have a negative effect over time. Additionally, if your pipes are too small for your required water flow, you’ll see problems emerge sooner than they would have otherwise.

A ruptured pipe may also be cause by a shifting foundation due to ground moisture. Such moisture will cause expansion and contraction of the soil beneath your home, and will cause your foundation and pipes to move. This moving can pull the pipes apart over time, which results in leaks. Unfortunately if a qualified Calgary plumber wasn’t hired to do the job then an improper installation of the pipes in the first place could be the cause of your leaks.

So how do you prevent these plumbing problems? Well qualified Calgary plumbing contractors will tell you to epoxy the inside of your pipes. This epoxy is like a water proof glue when it hardens, and it’s so strong that it will seal to objects together permanently, and when underwater it may seal up holes. So using epoxy on pipes to add strength and extra protection is definitely recommended. The epoxy will prevent direct contact of the water with the copper pipe, and thus prevent any corrosion of the copper, and adding durability.

• Clogged or Leaky Toilet – Your actual toilet bowl is very strong and difficult to break itself. Therefore fortunately it’s rare to have to replace an entire toilet. However internal components of your toilet may wear out eventually and require replacement. An Calgary plumbing expert can likely unclog your toilet very easily, although this may be slightly embarrassing for you. Additionally you’ll have to wait for the plumber to arrive at your home, and this can be quite inconvenient. Preventing such problems from occurring is your best choice. For starters, make an effort to keep your toilet clean, and don’t flush down hard, solid objects, or anything other than toilet paper (and the obvious).
• Clogged Kitchen Sink – Often food and grease accumulates and clogs kitchen sinks, creating a bad plumbing problem. This can turn into a much bigger problem if it’s left unattended. In order to prevent this from happening, you should use a strainer over your kitchen drain, and never pour grease down your drain (poor it into an empty can and dispose of it by other means). If you poor grease down your drain it will solidify in the pipes and cause clogs. It can be very useful to occasionally poor boiling water mixed with vinegar down kitchen drains to help flush out grease and other buildup.
• Burst Pipes – You may not know when a plumbing problem is brewing in your pipes, as they’re completely hidden from view. You may be completely unaware of a problem until the pipe has fully burst and water is leaking everywhere. It can be useful to be mindful of any whistling, rattling, screeching, or other noises your pipes are making. If you hear any of these sounds, you want to get a qualified Calgary plumbing professional to your home as soon as possible. Additionally, changes in water flow and pressure in your faucets may be an indication of damaged pipes. In such a case you shouldn’t wait to call a plumbing professional, as this may results in unwanted costs, repairs, and damage. If damage occurs, you may require the help of an Calgary plumbing and heating store to fix it.