Plumbing is an everyday household issue and water leakage spoils the interior of home and burns a hole in the pocket at the end of month when the water bill arrives. These cases can be avoided if house owners take maintenance care and precautionary measures regarding water pipes and inlets/ outlets. Most household plumbers suggest some do it yourself preventive measures at home adapting to which can save both pricy water bill and leaking pipes. These plumbing tasks hardly require any skills but are extremely useful for all.
Few Useful Home Plumbing Do It Yourself Measures:
- Staying alert for signs of leaks:
Leaking pipes and taps are most common waterway nuisance that occurs in home. Even coolant machineries like refrigerators and air conditioning systems may create a need to call the plumbers. The simplest way to avoid such expenses is by keeping check at the pipelines before they actually start leaking. A small crack or leak may lead to flooding pipes. If such leakages are not detected in right time then they may result in damaged walls and ceilings and also the overall repair bills will be sky high.
Home owners must keep checking the outer walls, the crawled and confided places such as vaults, lofts, basements etc. and also places that are insulation deprived for signs of pipe leakage. Spaces that are not well insulated offer more threats to the pipes and they tend to make them brittle and fragile. If such pipes are timely replaced then they cannot generate any massive plumbing repair requirements.
- Weatherproofing of vulnerable spaces:
Places who serve as transition between home and exterior such as corridors, windows, air vents, exhaust fan vents, doors etc. must be sealed properly during harsh climates especially winters. If the home remains open to climatic vulnerabilities the water pipes may freeze and severely damaged. Cracked or damaged air vents and windows allow the cold temperature to invade the home plumbing system and clog it by freezing. So in order to avoid such disasters weatherproofing of home is very important.
- Heat-Shielding of naked pipes:
But sealing all air outlets and inlets can be really tricky and might give a sense of claustrophobia. It may also result in increases moisture content in home air and ultimately resulting in increased microbial and fungal growth in home. It also spoils the home atmosphere. A good alternative to sealing all airways is insulating the naked pipes. Properly insulated pipes can stand the test of winter climate and still remain perfectly functional. Actually, the entire home plumbing system must be properly insulated to withstand cold winters. Pipes in close vicinity with electrical charges must be specially shielded with electrical insulation tape which provides enough heat to pipes for preventing of freezing. Draining all the pipes and insulating them with proper heating mechanisms are very important before the winter reaches. Check and insulate the faucets as well. Frozen faucets and pipes are very brittle and they rust and corrode easily. As an obvious result they crack and leak, hence added care must be taken during winters.
- Take care of indoor system and invest in low cost maintenance programmes:
Indoor pipe system is as important as the outdoor faucets and pipes. During winter season the home must be kept warm enough to prevent freezing of indoor water lines. A thermostat or room heater works perfectly for keeping the entire home warm and suitable. Also it is important to get the home plumbing system checked by a budget friendly professional plumber at regular time gap. Often such plumbers offer low cost maintenance services and this can reduce repair costs substantially.