Serving Forth Worth & the 
As lazy summer days stretch ahead, families prep to spend more time relaxing in the warm sun. Many of us also plan to host guests, too, for barbecues, swims, and evening get-togethers. If you don’t prepare your home properly, you could end up with some nasty plumbing problems that will be a real pain to deal with. Fortunately, by following our guide below, you can greatly reduce your chances of experiencing a plumbing issue during the beautiful summer season.
Be Mindful About Your Drains
One of the absolute best ways to greatly reduce your chances of experiencing a clog is to be mindful about what you’re putting down your toilets and drains. Grease, fats, and oils are all items you want to avoid pouring down the drain. As they travel down the drainage system, they’ll harden and create a sticky solution that attracts other food particles.
Instead, opt for pouring these solutions into a container that you can easily throw away once they harden. Some other notable items you want to avoid putting down your sink drains are coffee grounds, eggshells, fruit pits, and pasta. Use a strainer over the drain to avoid accidentally losing these items down the drain. The strainer will catch food particles and other debris in a convenient cup that you can pour into your garbage can for easy disposal.
When it comes to your toilets, avoid using flushable wipes. Over the years, these wipes have been shown to create an extensive amount of clogs since they don’t deteriorate as the product manufacturer intended. Additionally, avoid flushing any feminine hygiene products. These should go into the trash.
Get Routine Plumbing Inspections
Just like your HVAC or electrical system, your plumbing system should receive routine maintenance from one of our licensed plumbing professionals. During the service, they will inspect all the different components of your system to identify any leaks or other repair problems. By catching these problems when small, we can repair them before they cause more extensive damage to your home and lead to other unexpected plumbing problems.
Consider Annual Drain Cleaning
Most people are familiar with drain cleaning services when they experience a clog at their home. However, drain cleaning isn’t just reserved for when you have a problem. Services like hydro jetting can be highly beneficial in removing debris buildup inside your drainage lines to prevent future clogs from happening. We highly recommend a drain cleaning service at least once a year for most homeowners. If you have a large family, you may want to consider drain clearing every six months.
Use a Water Pressure Regulator
When most homeowners think about water pressure, their minds immediately go to low water pressure issues. The reality is that high water pressure can also be extremely damaging to your plumbing system. If the water supply coming into your home has a pressure above 80 PSI, it can be putting a massive strain on your piping joints, plumbing fixture components, and appliances.
One of the best ways to avoid having an unfortunate plumbing problem due to high water pressure is to invest in a water pressure regulator. This goes on your incoming water supply line and reduces the PSI of your water to a safer range of between 50 and 70.
Repair Small Issues Promptly
It can be very easy to put off repairs for a faucet with a slight leak or a toilet with a little run to it. However, neglecting these plumbing issues while they’re small will undoubtedly lead to more damage to your plumbing system and more expensive repairs. Furthermore, your water bills are constantly increasing until you fix the issue. We highly recommend addressing any plumbing issues promptly to prevent unpleasant larger issues from happening.
Get a Water Softener System
The high deposits of both limescale and gypsum in the Texas region can cause excess minerals, like magnesium and calcium, to enter your water supply. Unfortunately, these minerals can prematurely deteriorate your piping and other plumbing system components. This can lead to issues like unwanted clogging and low water pressure. Investing in a water softener system will prevent these effects on your plumbing system and reduce your likelihood of experiencing one of these unfortunate issues.
Test Your Sump Pump
If you rely on a sump pump to remove excess flood waters from your crawl space, check that it’s working properly before the summer season hits. You can easily test your device by dumping water into the sump pump pit to engage the float switch. Realize that you’ll have to hit a certain water threshold for the pump to engage. When it does, check the discharge line to verify water is coming out of it. By testing your sump pump before the summer, you can avoid unfavorable flooding issues due to a failing sump pump.
Consider a Smart Irrigation System
If you’re one of the many Texas homeowners who rely on an irrigation system to keep your lawn growing throughout the summer months, you likely know how challenging it can be to locate irrigation problems. Any time you have a leak in your irrigation system, one of the first signs you may notice is an increase in your water bill.
Investing in a smart irrigation system can be highly beneficial as it will alert you to any leaks in your system. Most systems will have automatic shutoff valves that kill the water supply to whatever location has a leak to prevent excess water leakage until you can fix the issue.
Get Water Heater Flushing Service
Over time, your water heater will collect sediment from the water that flows through it. This sentiment can build up at the bottom of the tank and cause corrosion. One of the best ways to help prevent this issue is to get a routine water heater flushing.
This is where one of our plumbing professionals will come out to thoroughly assess your water heater and flush out all the internal sediment to prevent unwanted tank corrosion. By getting the service at least once a year, you can greatly reduce your risk of experiencing a water heater malfunction during the summer months when the demand for your water heater is high.
Update Plumbing System as Necessary
All the components that make up your plumbing system have a finite lifespan and will require replacement at one point or another. It’s best to do upgrades whenever necessary to prevent aging plumbing fixtures from experiencing unwanted failures throughout the summer months. Getting an annual inspection is a great way to learn about when plumbing fixtures and piping will need replacing.
Reliable Plumbing Repair Service
Cattlemans Plumbing offers reliable plumbing repair service for the Fort Worth, TX community. We can also assist with all your other plumbing services needs including installation, replacement, and maintenance. Call our office today!
