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What Type of Maintenance Do My Pipes Need? | Insight from Your Trusted Hurst, TX Plumber

What Type of Maintenance Do My Pipes Need? | Insight from Your Trusted Hurst, TX Plumber

Photo By unclepodger at istock

When you own a home or business with plumbing and appliances like a dishwasher or sink, you need to be aware of the best practices to protect your real estate and keep your water running smoothly. It’s important to schedule regular maintenance checks by a professional plumber for all of your plumbing fixtures, including:

  • Sinks and faucets
  • Toilets, bathtubs, and showers
  • Water filtration systems
  • Washing machine and dishwasher lines
  • Water heaters

Fresh, clean water is vital to a healthy home, so make sure that your pipes are in great shape with proper filtration and are routinely maintained. Look for an experienced professional plumber that can offer maintenance services to keep appliances running properly and conduct any repairs or upgrades to your systems.

Don’t Let Your Money Drip Down the Drain

Preventative care can help you in many ways, including by reducing your water bill. Even a small drip can quickly turn into a large puddle, with only 4,000 drips needed for a liter of water. Drips as slow as once an hour can cause a huge problem, eventually leading to 34 gallons of waste water per year. This can be a financial burden for residents of Hurst, TX, where water can be scarce due to the high temperatures and year-round sunshine— this area has an average amount of rainfall but the water quickly evaporates in the sunny days, and Hurst has way more sunny days than other areas, an average of 237 a year in fact. Make sure your pipes and hoses have secure connections and no leaks are present, replacing gaskets as needed to ensure a water-tight seal. If you find standing water in your home, make sure to reach out to a professional to ensure you make the repairs you need to solve the issue quickly.

Routine Maintenance Prevents Unwanted Moisture and the Mold It Can Bring In 

Not only does wasted water cost you money, but severe damage can be caused to an area where water has been left standing. Mold can quickly begin to grow in dampness, which causes structural damage as well as significant health risks. Mold has an odor that can fill a space, causing it to smell musky, and will leave stains on most surfaces. The spores are constantly released into the area, which is easily blown about the entire home by the air conditioner and heater systems, and an entire home can be quickly colonized by mold spores if measures aren’t taken to sanitize the area immediately.

If allowed to permeate into the wood, fungi can even begin to grow, causing extreme damage to the structure of the wood as well as contaminating space with dangerous contaminants like fungi spores in the air. There are numerous health issues that are associated with mold and fungi growth. Symptoms of mold exposure are similar to that of having a cold, with runny eyes and a cough being at the top of the list. Those with sensitive respiratory systems like people with asthma are more susceptible to health issues presented by excessive pollution in the air. A well-maintained heating and air system can help prevent moisture from letting mold taking over your home. A professional can help you determine where mold might be growing in your home, and help you plan the best solution to your indoor air-quality issues.

Slow Drain Solutions for the Kitchen and Bathroom Include Preventative Care

Before you have to call the plumber for a costly emergency visit to fix your backed-up pipes, consider making some simple improvements to your plumbing maintenance habits. A slow drain in the kitchen is often simply a sign of food having gotten stuck in the drain. One way to prevent this from happening is to use a stopped on your drain that catches food before it goes down your pipes. Another solution is to ensure you aren’t letting thick grease clog the drain. If you need to pour oil down your drain, make sure to run hot water before and after doing so to prevent it from solidifying in your pipes. Bathroom drains are often sluggish due to similar reasons, the build-up of debris, usually hair, that prevents the water from draining. An easy-to-use drain stopper can be found in the cleaning aisle of most grocery stores that will catch hair before it goes down your tub drain, causing costly repairs.

Cold Weather Pipe Issues

In winter, it can be very important to take precautions to prevent your water from freezing. For example, if you expect temperatures to drop below freezing (which occurs only 32 days on average in Hurst, TX), it would be a good idea to keep a faucet dripping throughout the night. It’s not a good idea to waste water, so all you need is a steady drip to keep the pressure up enough to move the water around and keep it from freezing overnight. If your pipes do wind up freezing, it’s important to know how to safely handle the situation. In this situation, you’ll want to reach out to a professional plumber who can advise you of the best way to get your water flowing again and prevent freezing from occurring in the first place, like installing insulation.

Is It Important to Let a Plumber Conduct Some Maintenance Tasks?

A well-trained, trusted plumber is a critical member of your property maintenance team. While it may be possible to take care of some of the plumbing fixtures around your home without help, there are many maintenance needs that simply require a professional touch. With a well-trained plumber keeping an eye on any issues in your home, you can rest assured that you’ve got an expert on your side dedicated to getting the problem solved quickly, efficiently, and safely.

Those in need of a plumber in Hurst, TX can reach out to Tioga Plumbing & Electric. The team of expert plumbers and home maintenance specialists can help you with any problem affecting your plumbing, all year and round-the-clock. Homeowners and commercial investors can call Tioga for installation, repair, and maintenance of appliances and drains as well as utility connections.