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As a homeowner, there are certain things you should know if you want to take good care of your home. One of the biggest things you need to have a basic understanding of is your plumbing. Preventing plumbing problems and emergencies in your Knoxville, TN, home can save you a lot of money. From knowing how to shut your water off to understanding how to prevent clogs in your drains, we’ve got all the stuff you need to know if you want to avoid spending your hard-earned money hiring a plumber to fix a problem that could have been prevented.
Shutting Off Your Water
Preventing plumbing emergencies in your home is important, but they’re always going to happen. However, knowing how to shut off your water can be the difference between hiring a plumber to fix a leak and paying to fix expensive structural damage.
The good news is, it’s not incredibly difficult to shut off water to your home. The location of your shutoff valve depends on the setup of your home, but they’re generally near the front foundation wall in homes with basements. Homes with crawl spaces usually have a shutoff valve near the water heater or kitchen sink, as is the case with slab-on grade construction. However, homes with a crawl space and a basement are sort of up in the air.
There are also shutoff valves on fixtures a lot of times if you don’t want to cut water to your entire home.
Routine Maintenance
When it comes to taking care of the plumbing system in your Knoxville, TN, home, the best thing you can do is keep up with regular maintenance. If you need to, call a plumber to inspect your plumbing occasionally and make sure it’s still in good shape.
When you have problems with a plumbing fixture or pipe, make sure you get it fixed right away. The biggest part of plumbing maintenance is making sure you keep an eye on your plumbing and fix problems before they become too severe. You should also make sure you’re keeping an eye on the drains in your home so they aren’t getting too clogged up.
Preventing Frozen Pipes
If you want to avoid spending a bunch of money on a plumber, you need to make sure the pipes in your home aren’t freezing. This means that you need to properly prepare your plumbing system each winter to make sure your pipes aren’t at risk of freezing.
The first thing you should do is make sure you drain outside faucets such as hose bibs, then cover them with a faucet cover so they don’t freeze. In addition to this, you should look at the pipes that are at risk for freezing; specifically the ones that run along an outside wall in your home. These pipes may need to be insulated or wrapped with heat tape if you want to prevent freezing.
What Not to Flush
While a lot of homeowners don’t know it, you need to be extremely careful about what you flush down the toilet in your Knoxville, TN, home. Plumbers see all kinds of crazy things flushed down toilets, but the truth is it’s the seemingly harmless items that are the worst.
Many brands make wipes that are marketed as “flushable,” but the truth is you shouldn’t be flushing these wipes down your toilet at all. A good plumber will tell you that so-called flushable wipes have a hard time breaking down in your drain pipes, and continuing to flush them will eventually lead to a clogged drain.
Other things you should avoid flushing down your toilet include cotton swabs, makeup products and menstrual products.
Your Garbage Disposal
Having a garbage disposal in your Knoxville, TN, home is great because it means you don’t have to worry as much about your kitchen sink getting clogged by food. However, many homeowners mistakenly think they can simply dump anything down their garbage disposal.
The truth is, your garbage disposal (and your drain) are only meant to handle specific things. One of the quickest ways to make sure you need a plumber is to put things down your kitchen sink drain with no regard. As much as it may seem like an inconvenience, you should dump as much food as possible in the garbage or a compost bin. When it comes to grease and oils, you should keep them out of your sink altogether.
If you do have a clogged drain with a garbage disposal, call a plumber rather than trying to fix it yourself.
Drain Cleaners
Most people who use drain cleaners use the popular chemical cleaners that are advertised on TV all the time. The truth is, those cleaners aren’t very effective and they can be harmful to your drain pipes.
If you want to keep your drains free of clogs without damaging them, you need to find a good enzyme-based drain cleaner to use. These cleaners use enzymes that eat away at the matter that’s clogging up your drain, slowly opening the drain back up and creating a path for water to flow. The best part is, you can use these drain cleaners on a regular basis to keep drains free and clear without worry since they’re not chemical based.
Need a Hand?
Taking care of your home is important, but it’s not easy if you don’t know what you’re doing. When it comes to plumbing, simply knowing the basics and knowing when you should call a plumber go a long way toward keeping your plumbing in good shape.
If you’re looking for the best plumber in the Knoxville, TN, area, look no further than My Professional Plumber. Not only do we provide excellent service whether you need repairs or maintenance, we offer great deals on that service. To find out more or schedule an appointment today, call us at (865) 622-4101.