The best way to keep your North Port and Port Charlotte, FL, home healthy, habitable, and enjoyable to live in is by taking good care of your plumbing system. Dirty, blocked, and poorly functioning drains can lead to unpleasant odors, drain gnat infestations, and even food contamination. If you’re not diligent about maintaining your water supply, you may encounter issues like silt, sand, or bacteria in your taps. To help you avoid these and other common plumbing problems, here are 10 essential tips every homeowner should know.

1. Don’t Use Your Garbage Disposal as a Waste Bin

The term “garbage disposal” can be misleading. This appliance isn’t meant to handle all types of food waste. Larger quantities of food scraps should go in your compost bin or garbage can instead. This will help prevent problems like jammed impeller blades, dirty sink drains, and stubborn clogs.

There’s a lengthy list of items that should never be put in your garbage disposal, including:

  • Potato peelings
  • Coffee grounds
  • Eggshells
  • Nuts and nut butters

Disposing of these items properly will protect your garbage disposal and add valuable nutrients to your garden.

2. Flush Only Toilet Paper and Human Waste

Many people mistakenly flush slow-degrading or non-degradable items down their toilets. These materials can snag on rough pipe interiors or become trapped by in-pipe buildups of sediment and debris. The only things you should flush down your toilets are human waste and toilet paper. Even “flushable” wipes can cause serious plumbing problems if flushed too often. Despite being labeled as flushable, these wipes contain heavy-duty polymers that can remain intact in wastewater systems for weeks or even months.

Things to avoid flushing include:

  • Feminine hygiene products
  • Condoms
  • Surface-cleaning wipes
  • Paper towels

Keeping lined wastebaskets in your bathrooms can help discourage others from flushing these items.

Even Cat Waste Can Be a Problem if You Have a Septic Tank

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), flushing cat feces is an environmentally friendly way to dispose of it. However, if you have a septic tank, flushing cat waste can disrupt the balance of microbes necessary for proper drainage, potentially leading to a whole-house backup.

After cleaning out your pet’s litter box, always dispose of the waste in your trash can instead.

3. Never Plant Trees Less Than 10 Feet Away From Your Sewer Line

It’s crucial to avoid planting trees too close to your home’s underground sewer line. Aggressive tree roots can encroach on the sewer line, leading to messy sewage leaks or even a blocked sewer line. Regularly removing weeds from your yard is also essential, as weed roots, much like tree roots, can invade sewer pipes and impede the flow of waste and wastewater.

4. Don’t Put Chemical Drain Cleaners Down Your Drains

Although chemical drain cleaners are inexpensive and readily available, using them to remove blockages can cause more harm than good. These caustic and corrosive substances dissolve organic materials like soap scum, grease, and hair, but they can also damage your pipes if not flushed out quickly. If you have a clog that won’t clear with hot water or a plunger, it’s best to call a professional plumber.

5. Avoid Using Drain Snakes and Drain Augers

Like chemical drain cleaners, drain snakes and drain augers are available at most home improvement stores at modest prices. However, if you use these tools without knowing the nature and location of the clog, you could push a solid, non-degradable item deeper into your pipes, worsening the issue. The sharp tips on these tools can also damage pipe coatings, porcelain fixtures, and void manufacturers’ warranties. It’s always safer to let a plumber handle tough clogs.

6. Be on the Lookout for Signs of an Impending Backup

Don’t ignore the signs of an impending whole-house backup, which can send waste and wastewater rushing back into your home. Call a plumber immediately if you notice:

  • Multiple blocked or slow-moving drains at once
  • Foul sewer gas odors in your yard
  • Suddenly lush and overgrown grass above your sewer line
  • Toilets and other fixtures making loud gurgling sounds

Plumbers can clear stubborn sewer line obstructions with hydro-jetting, mechanical drain cleaning, or other methods.

7. Cool Your Grease and Cooking Oils, Then Dispose of Them Properly

Even in liquid form, grease, cooking oils, and rendered fats should never be poured down your drains. These substances harm the local water supply and can solidify as they cool, creating thick buildups on your pipes’ interior walls. Instead, allow used grease and cooking oils to cool in heat-safe containers, then cap them and dispose of them in the trash.

8. Address Hard Water Problems

Hard water contains high concentrations of dissolved minerals like calcium and magnesium, which can create substantial buildups in your pipes, on your fixtures, and within your appliances. Installing a water softener can extend the lifespan of your entire plumbing system. You’ll also notice a significant improvement in your tap water’s taste and quality.

9. Schedule an Annual Whole-House Plumbing Inspection

During whole-house plumbing inspections, our plumbers check for balanced water pressure, slow and hidden leaks, and other issues that might otherwise go unnoticed. These inspections can help you avoid widespread water damage, high water bills, and more. Remember to schedule a whole-house plumbing inspection once a year.

Schedule Backflow Testing, Too

Backflow testing ensures that changes in water pressure within your plumbing system don’t draw soil-based contaminants into your household’s water supply. Contaminants can also enter your fresh, potable water supply via poorly installed irrigation systems and pinhole leaks in your pipes. To keep your tap water safe, schedule backflow testing along with your whole-house plumbing inspection.

10. Have Your Drains Cleaned Every Year or Two

Even if you’re careful about what you flush down your toilets and put down your drains, your wastewater pipes will inevitably develop buildups of organic waste and slimy biofilm over time. Scheduling annual drain cleaning services can prevent frequent backups and clogs, slow-moving drains, and more. A sewer line inspection and cleaning service every 18 to 24 months will keep your sewer line functioning optimally as well.

Homeowners in North Port and Port Charlotte, FL, can count on us for exceptional air conditioning, heating, and plumbing services. We offer drain cleaning, backflow prevention, leak detection, and repiping services.

If you need help keeping your plumbing system in excellent condition, get in touch with Titanz Plumbing & Air Conditioning today!

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