Have you already made your New Year’s Resolutions for 2022? Even if you have, you can always add a few more—especially ones that aren’t too difficult to follow through on. We recommend you make some resolutions about your plumbing system for this year. These resolutions will help keep your plumbing in the best shape possible and lower the chances you’ll need to call professionals for plumbing service in Bethesda, MD due to an emergency.
ONE: Schedule preventive drain cleaning
We want our customers to know that drain cleaning isn’t only for when a drain gets clogged up and a plain old plunger won’t handle it. Drain cleaning is also a maintenance service that prevents future clogs and helps keep plumbing healthy. We can scour all the drains in your house to remove the build-up inside them that can not only cause slow drains and clogs but lead to corrosion and a spike in water pressure.
TWO: Show the garbage disposal some love
If you’ve been careless about what goes down your garbage disposal, this is the year to turn it around. Keep all non-food items out of the disposal (don’t mistake the word garbage for meaning you can put actual garbage down it) and only put food waste down it that your teeth could chew (so no meat bones or fruit pits). Also, watch out for pasta and stringy foods like onion skins and asparagus. With these steps, you’ll give the garbage disposal a longer life.
THREE: Don’t use the toilet as a trash can
Only human waste and toilet paper should go down a toilet. Anything else can risk clogging up the toilet. It also means extra flushes and wasted water. The toilet uses the most freshwater of any water-using appliance in your house, so restricting it to only flushing when necessary is helpful in preventing water waste.
FOUR: Find out how to shut off the water to the house
Do you know where the shut-off valve for the water to your house is? We recommend finding it if you don’t know: it’s likely located close to the water meter. Make sure you know how to shut off the water in case of a plumbing emergency: you may need to use a special tool to turn the valve, and if it’s not hanging by the valve, you’ll be glad you found out early enough to go buy one.
FIVE: Have leak detection done if you have high water usage
We hope that you keep a close watch on your water bills each month so you can detect when an unexpected spike in usage occurs. This often means hidden leaks in the house. If you’ve seen this on your bills but haven’t done anything about it before, we recommend calling us for leak detection. You may need some extensive pipe replacements and repairs.
SIX: Have the water heater maintained
The water heater in your home needs regular maintenance, the same as the heating and cooling system. If you’ve forgotten to have this done, there’s no time like this year to get started. Your water heater will likely need to have its tank flushed to remove excess sediment that can lower its energy efficiency or even cause it to overheat.
At Tuckers Air Conditioning, Heating & Plumbing, we pledge to exceed expectations at every turn. For help with your plumbing resolutions in 2022, give us a call!