Purchasing your first home can be intimidating, to say the least. Owning a new home brings along a whole new list of responsibilities. When something goes wrong, it can be hard to diagnose, especially when it comes to your plumbing. Lucky for you, the experts at Affordable Service are here with a few tips and tricks.
As a new homeowner, you may need to accumulate some items to care for your home. For plumbing, the following tools may be helpful:
- Tongue and groove pliers
- Pipe wrench
- Drain auger (snake)
- Plumber’s tape
- Plunger
Having the right tools is just the beginning. Becoming familiar with the plumbing in your home is also extremely important. Here are a few helpful hints to ensure your plumbing runs smoothly:
- Find the shut-off valve: When a water leak occurs, it’s important to know where the main shut-off valve is. This valve turns off all running water in your home and will prevent you from having to hunt for the source of the leak.
- Inspect the water lines you can see for corrosion, particularly if a copper pipe connects to a galvanized pipe. This can cause an electrochemical reaction and a major water emergency.
- Know where your water lines are: Knowing where your water lines are is crucial. This can help you prevent damaging any pipes while working on your home.
- Don’t make common mistakes. There are a few common plumbing mistakes to avoid.
- Don’t flush baby wipes or other “non-approved” paper products.
- Don’t use harsh chemicals in the drains.
- Don’t pour grease down the sink.
- Don’t dispose of everything down the garbage disposal (avoid eggshells, meat, and coffee grounds).
- Don’t put off preventative maintenance.
When it comes to owning a new home, there is a lot to learn. Whether you need to schedule preventative maintenance or have questions about a plumbing issue in your home, the team at Affordable Service is here to help! Our experts are available 24/7 for your plumbing needs. Review our website blogs for many other helpful tips for new homeowners too.