Fix Problems Early
Don’t wait until you’re ankle-deep in water from a broken pipe. Little leaks now can bring big problems later. Regularly check for leaking faucets, damp cabinets, loose toilets, or pooling water around appliances. These can signal issues that need attention.
Do you know where your water supply shut-off valve is? Find it and store plumbing tools nearby in case of an emergency.
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Protect Pipes in Winter
Pipes are at risk of freezing (and expanding, cracking, or bursting) in cold-weather climates. The best defense is wrapping pipe insulation around exposed pipes. Here are other tips to help prevent frozen pipes.
- Remove exterior hoses and apply insulating caps to outdoor fixtures
- Use heating cables to keep your pipes warm
- Clear water from sprinkler systems
- When cold weather hits, open cabinets beneath sinks and bathroom fixtures
- Allow water to trickle to avoid a frozen blockage
Soften Your Water
In hard-water areas, water softeners help remove unwanted minerals — preventing buildup in pipes, limiting corrosion in joints and fittings, and extending the life of appliances. Most require salt pellets or nuggets to counteract minerals like calcium and magnesium. For best results, use the salt type recommended by the manufacturer, and check the brine tank for salt levels.
Water softeners need regular recharges to flush accumulated minerals pulled from hard water. And it’s always good practice to routinely test water hardness.
Create a Maintenance Plan
Start with an inspection. A detailed plumbing inspection will help you understand the composition, age, and condition of your pipes. You or your maintenance staff will need this information to budget, plan, and maintain plumbing accordingly.
Things to check for:
- Water pressure in pipes and fixtures
- Tagging on exposed shut-off valves
- Corrosion or leaks in pipes, hoses, and fixtures
- Drain flow in sinks and appliances
Build your maintenance plan. Each property has unique challenges, potential problems, and current issues. Repairs and maintenance do not necessarily need to be made all at once. After your inspections, rank your projects based on importance and severity. Cracked sewer lines or aging pipes are probably your first priority, where a regular pipe cleaning could be rotated over months or years. Depending on your resources, plot out your repairs for the year.
Prevent Problems Before They Happen
Use salt and hot water to flush drains. Before you turn to heavy-duty commercial drain cleaners, try this natural treatment. Dump half a cup of salt into your drain, followed by boiling water. Continue to flush the drain with hot water. This can clean out drains more effectively (and less harshly) than an occasional rinse with a commercial drain cleaner.
Rid drain odors with vinegar. Pour a cup of white vinegar down your drain and let it sit for 30 minutes. Follow with a hot water rinse. Even if it takes a couple of attempts, this mixture can be effective at removing odors and the bacteria that cause them.
Don’t dump grease. Hot grease can harden and block pipes. Drain off your excess grease into a container you can throw away, and wipe down greasy containers with a paper towel before you wash them. The less grease you allow into your plumbing system, the better it will work.
Use drain covers. Block hair and other particles with covers to keep buildup from causing clogs.
Avoid chemical plumbing cleaners. Harsh drain-clearing chemicals sometimes do more harm than good. They can erode, warp, or damage pipes, especially if they are old, weak, metal, or plastic pipes. Because they typically don’t remove the clog entirely, you end up using chemicals repeatedly, eating away at pipes each time. If you use them for completely blocked drains, the chemicals end up sitting in pipes and gnawing through them.
A better option is use a drain snake to fully remove the blockage and protect your pipes.
Product Compliance and Suitability
The product statements contained in this guide are intended for general informational purposes only. Such product statements do not constitute a product recommendation or representation as to the appropriateness, accuracy, completeness, correctness or currentness of the information provided. Information provided in this guide does not replace the use by you of any manufacturer instructions, technical product manual, or other professional resource or adviser available to you. Always read, understand and follow all manufacturer instructions.