Save Money When You Call a Plumber to Fix Your Leaky Appliances

If you’ve got to call a plumbing company, it’s more than likely that something has gone horribly wrong with your plumbing system and you’re not looking forward to their visit with pleasure. However, knowing the number of a reliable plumbing company is in your best interest — that way, if something does go south, you can have help on hand and won’t have to spend the time researching a quality company. There are also methods you can take to keep your plumbing working and maintained, lessening the need to call up plumbing services. Making sure your plumbing is up to date can also save you some serious bucks on your water bill and help conserve water — important especially in areas that are hit harder with a drought season. There are plenty of good reasons to keep up with your plumbing and avoid plumbing repair!
What Risks Are There to My Plumbing System?
Even if your house is fairly new, the plumbing system itself might not be and your appliances might be leaking more than you suspect. If your sewer is 40 or more years old, you should look into getting a new sewer to avoid backup or other leakage and having to deal with sewer repair. Additionally, if your house dates back to the 1980s or earlier, you should see what kind of plumbing pipes you have. Clay pipes were common until the 1980s, but they’re easily damaged by roots infiltrating the clay.
You should also consider your landscaping carefully. Even if you think you’ve planted trees far enough away — or that they’ll be deep enough — think again. Their root system can be anywhere from a foot to three feet below the soil, but go out horizontally at least two to three times the canopy’s diameter, encroaching on your sewer lines and plumbing pipes.
What’s Causing My Plumbing Problems?
For most household problems, it’s maintenance issues or interruption from tree roots or pipes freezing and then bursting. If you’re experiencing backflow, it’s due to either back pressure or back siphonage, both of which a plumbing company can easily remedy. You should also be calling in a professional to pump your septic tanks every five to seven years — this is dependent, of course, on how many people are living in your home and what your water usage looks like.
Be mindful of what you’re putting down your drain as well! You shouldn’t be putting oil or fats down the drain, as they can build up and clog your drain, especially in colder temperatures, requiring you to call a plumbing repair company. These caused almost half of the 36,000 residential and commercial overflows that occur every year in the United States. You should also think about putting a shower drain cover in your shower to prevent hair or other debris from going down your pipes and clogging things up. Obviously larger items like feminine products shouldn’t be flushed down your toilet as well.
My Water Bill is So High! Ugh!
Think about calling your plumbing company to check out your appliances! Research studies have shown that between 20-35% of all residential toilets have some kind of leak. The average household wastes around 10,000 gallons of water every year, thanks to leaks. Those 10,000 gallons could have washed 270 loads of laundry instead! And 90 gallons or more are leaked by about 10% of houses per day. Fixing these easily corrected leaks could save you as much as 10% on your water bill! That’s no small save! A plumber may even be able to help you install a more efficient flushing toilet that can help you save even more on your water bill.
Knowing a good plumbing company can help you out if you’re in a pinch — it’s good to have a list within reach in case of emergencies. Getting referrals from family and friends can be a good place to start if you’re not sure where to begin looking. Conducting regular maintenance and being smart about how you treat your plumbing can also go a long way towards keeping your plumbing woes few and far between.