7 Threats to Your Home’s Plumbing System in Gallatin, TN

Your home’s plumbing system is an integral system that should remain functional to protect your family’s safety and health. Normal wear and tear can cause a plumbing issue, but some of the things you do every day can damage your plumbing system, leaving it prone to repairs or costly replacements. Here are some of the things that can damage the plumbing system of your Gallatin, TN home.

1. Putting Inappropriate Things Down Your Drains

Inappropriate items going down your drain can be a threat to your plumbing system. Be mindful of the items that enter your garbage disposal, toilets, and kitchen and bathroom drain. Hair that passes down your drains combines with other things like soap scum and grease to create a blockage.

Large chunks of food like potato peelings and leftover oil can block your garbage disposal, which ultimately clogs your drains. Using your toilet as trash by flushing baby wipes and other feminine products can eventually damage your plumbing system. After frying your food, the worst thing you can do is pour the grease down your kitchen drain because the fat builds up and causes a massive clog over time.

2. Your Water Heater

Your home’s water heater won’t last forever; it’ll eventually break down after about a decade to 12 years. Old water heaters can leak, which can damage your plumbing system. Attempting to drain your water heater or adjusting pressure valves can threaten your plumbing system.

3. Relying on Liquid Cleaners

Drain cleaning chemicals are a threat to your home’s plumbing, mainly when you use them for a prolonged period. When your residential drains clog, the first thing you try is reaching out to the drain cleaning chemicals, which are not as effective and can damage your pipes. These drain cleaners contain harsh and strong chemicals that eat away your drainpipes and eventually damage the plumbing system.

4. Ignoring Tree Roots Near Your Pipes

Another common threat to your plumbing system is tree roots that grow near your underground pipes. Tree roots grow along pipes underneath in search of water, which can cause sewer leaks and drain clogs. You can protect your plumbing from tree roots by avoiding trees near the pipeline or hiring a professional to cut the roots and prevent them from growing near underground pipes.

5. Freezing Weather

If you reside in colder parts of the world, freezing temperatures can damage your home’s plumbing. When temperatures drop during the winter, your pipes are likely to freeze and burst, causing emergency plumbing issues. An effective way of protecting your plumbing from freezing temperatures is insulating pipes or using water leak alarms for pipes that run through unheated parts of your home.

Garden hoses can be a threat to the plumbing system during the winter when you leave them connected. When the garden hoses remain connected to your tap throughout the cold weather, they can freeze and cause pipe and hose cracks. It’s best to protect your plumbing system by disconnecting garden hoses in preparation for the cold weather.

6. Neglecting Plumbing Maintenance

You can easily damage your home’s plumbing system by ignoring minor plumbing issues like leaks and unusual plumbing sounds. Failure to conduct routine plumbing maintenance puts your pipes and other plumbing fixtures at the risk of breaking down unexpectedly, leading to costly replacements and repairs. It’s wise to schedule regular plumbing maintenance with an experienced and licensed plumber to help identify plumbing problems early enough and fix them.

7. DIY Plumbing

Tackling plumbing problems yourself can damage your pipes and plumbing fixtures. Avoid the temptation of attempting to fix a leaky toilet or faucet if you don’t have experience in plumbing because you might end up escalating the problem further. No matter how minor the plumbing issue is, it’s best to hire a licensed and well-trained plumber to fix the issue to avoid damaging your home’s plumbing system.

If you have any of these threats or doing these things to your plumbing system, you might be inviting nasty plumbing disasters. Simple maintenance and avoidance can keep your home’s plumbing system working well. Feel free to call us at Kimbro Air to get in touch with our reliable plumbers for commercial plumbing services.

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