Tips on Resolving Minor Plumbing Issues Before They Become Major

The word plumbing has been with human society since the Roman times. Today, most of the households, especially the urban ones, are equipped with adequate supply of cold and hot water, whenever required. Thanks to modern plumbing. But if it somehow gets affected, it can make you face with soggy mess. So it’s always recommended to spot and resolve any tiny plumbing issues to avert major ones.

Here are some easy but useful tips to help your plumbing remain happy and dry.

• Be vigilant about troubles – As it comes to plumbing, even the most trivial leaks can turn into a huge problem. So be careful about the impending plumbing issues. Damp cabinets, leaking faucets, dripping refrigerators, rocking toilets – all of them signal major troubles that require immediate attention.

• Get issues fixed ASAP – A leaking faucet is simply irritating. Moreover, the moisture released by it can put wear on the sink fixtures and as a result enhance the growth of mildew and mold. So be proactive to keep your home dry and clean.

• Know the key shut-off valve location – If the plumbing system of your home somehow fails, do you know how to stop potential flood condition? Well, knowing the location of the key shut-off valve for the water supply of the entire home can help you handle the issue. But if it’s located in a hidden or hard-to-reach place, make sure you have the tools that you might need for an instant shut-off – keep them nearby.

• Shut off appliances – It’s important that you have basic knowledge of how to turn off the water supply to toilets, sinks, water-using appliances like washing machine. So if any of them somehow starts malfunctioning, you can simply turn off the shut-off valve and save a lot of wet cleanup.

• Locate the sewer valve – It’s extremely important that you know the major sewer valve of your home. It is there to offer required access to repair clogged sewer line. Just don’t allow the plumber to spend expensive labour hours looking for it when your toilet overflows.

• Know how to manage small issues – With a couple of plumbing tools and a little wisdom, you can handle tiny plumbing emergencies. With just a pipe wrench, plunger and sewer snake, you can effectively resolve small troubles such as blocked toilets, clogged drains, dripping faucets and stuck valves. But if it becomes difficult for you, calling any of the plumbers in Kolkata, would be the wisest (being a resident of Kolkata). 

• Know to manage frozen pipes – This is a common problem for the households in cold climate. If you belong to such a place, don’t panic. Just shut off the main water supply to the house and open any faucet near the block area and allow the vapors from frozen water to vent. If the pipes in the hot water system are frozen, just turn off hot water heater. You can also use hair dryer starting at the end of the pipe, nearest to the faucet to make the pipes warm. As the pipe starts to thaw, water will begin to trickle from the open tap.

Discussed are just a few of many plumbing maintenance tips that come really handy at times.