The importance of the plumbing system in your Portland, OR home cannot be overstated. In addition to ensuring that your house has a constant supply of water, your plumbing system helps with ensuring that the wastewater from your kitchen and bathroom is quickly drained out to the public sewer or a septic tank outside your house. Given the important role that your plumbing system plays in keeping your house clean and hygienic, almost every plumbing system has to be addressed urgently. For instance, if your drains are clogged, failure to call an emergency plumber immediately could render your bathrooms and sinks unusable. Similarly, a blocked toilet could bring a nasty odor to your house and create a mess that you don’t want to deal with. The good news is that there are several deliberate steps you can take to avoid some emergency plumbing issues. Below are some of the tips that can be effective in helping you avoid the need for calling a plumber.
Check What Goes Down the Drains
Your drains are responsible for ensuring that the wastewater from your house is efficiently drained out. However, this does not mean that everything in your wastewater should be forced into the drains. This is because drains are susceptible to clogging. As such, you need to avoid using your sink like a waste disposal unit. For instance, you need to do everything you can to avoid pushing solid waste, such as food particles, down your drains. Doing this will go a long way in helping you prevent drain clogs, and consequently, make it less likely for you to require the services of an emergency plumber.
Get Your Drains Cleaned Regularly
No matter how much you try to control what goes down your drains, some undesirables will end up there. For instance, hair, greases, oils, soap scum, and tiny food particles can still find their way into your drains no matter how careful you might be. Unfortunately, these materials can gradually build up in your drains and eventually create a major clog that might force you to call an emergency plumber. The good news is that you can prevent such an eventuality by ensuring that your drains are cleaned by a professional at least once per year. In addition to preventing drain clogs, regular drain cleaning will also protect your pipes by slowing down corrosion. By protecting your pipes, you can avoid plumbing problems such as burst pipes and leaky pipes.
Routine Water Heater Maintenance
The water heater is an integral component of your plumbing system. It plays the crucial role of ensuring that your house has a constant supply of hot water. However, this appliance is one of the most common reasons a homeowner might need to call an emergency plumber. For example, nobody likes taking showers with ice-cold water, and therefore, when your water heater is broken, it must be fixed as soon as possible. The good news is that by subjecting your water heater to routine maintenance, you can significantly reduce the need for emergency water heater repairs. For example, by ensuring that your water heater is drained regularly, you can minimize the build-up of mineral deposits that can accelerate water heater tank corrosion or even cause water heater tank cracks as they break up and collide with the sides of the tank. In a nutshell, routine water heater maintenance can go a long way in helping you avoid the need for calling a plumber from time to time.
Ensure That Small Leaks Are Fixed Immediately
Water leaks are quite common plumbing problems. They are known to cause issues such as increased water bills and increased growth of mold, among others. The good news is that water leaks rarely develop abruptly. Generally, big leaks start as small leaks. Therefore, to ensure that small leaks do not get out of hand and end up forcing you to call an emergency plumber, it is imperative for you to ensure that leaky pipes and faucets are fixed as soon as the leaks have been identified. It is also important for you to avoid DIY plumbing repairs because trying to fix a leaking pipe on your own could cause the situation to deteriorate and eventually force you to call a plumber.
Protect Your Pipes
If you live in Portland, OR, you are familiar with the realities of harsh, cold winters. As such, one of the reasons you may need an emergency plumber has to do with frozen pipes. When temperatures drop to under zero degrees, the water in your pipe might freeze. Unfortunately, having blocks of ice in your water pipes can prevent the flow of water, and effectively cut your house off from the main water supply. To restore the water supply to your house, you will need to call an emergency plumber. The good news is that there are several things you can do to prevent such an eventuality. For instance, you need to ensure that your pipes and your house are well insulated. You also need to ensure that your HVAC system is well maintained to keep your house warm, no matter how cold the weather outside gets.
The Bottom Line
Overall, it is apparent that many plumbing issues can make it necessary for you to seek the attention of an emergency plumber. The good news is that there are also many steps you can deliberately take to prevent emergency plumbing issues. All in all, you need to be in touch with an emergency plumber that you can call when you have a plumbing issue that needs to be fixed urgently. If you are looking for a reliable plumber providing emergency plumbing services in or around Portland, OR, Pilot Plumbing & Drain is an excellent plumbing contractor to consider. We have been providing emergency plumbing services for many years, and you can expect us to show up in your house quickly and fix the issue at hand within the shortest time humanly possible. Feel free to contact us today for more information about our company and services.
