Top tips for keeping your plumbing healthy
Very often, homeowners only notice that something has gone wrong with their plumbing when it is too late. Perhaps you have come home to a flooded bathroom or have just realised that this is the third day that your drain has overflowed outside and you have no idea why. In cases like these, it is essential to call out plumbers in Preston as soon as possible to get your plumbing working as good as new.
However, there are several very simple yet effective things that you can do yourself to keep your plumbing running efficiently, to prevent these kinds of emergencies. Here are our top three tips for looking after your plumbing:
1. Do not pour oil down the sink
The Welsh government came up with an effective slogan for this: ‘Stop and think: not down the sink!’. Cooking oil might seem like a harmless flowing liquid when it’s hot, and it might feel convenient just to dispose of it down the sink. However, as it cools, the oil coagulates and can cause a blockage in your pipes that is very hard to shift.
Did you read on the news about how sewers in London had to be excavated due to a blockage the size of a double decker bus? This was largely due to homeowners pouring cooking oil down their sinks.
2. Do not overuse drain cleaners
If you do have a blockage in your pipes, it can be tempting just to try and flush it out with a commercial drain cleaner. However, these can be very corrosive. Though they may provide a short term solution, they ultimately will wear your pipes away much more quickly.
The best thing, therefore, is not to pour anything down your sink that is likely to block it.
3. Check your outdoor drains and gutters at least monthly
It is easy to clear moss and dead leaves from gutters and drains before they have had a chance to build up. It is so much harder to do so if you leave drains to get more and more blocked before you attempt to fix them.