They say money isn’t everything — but it’s not far from it. And one way to have more cash in your pocket is to prevent plumbing problems, most of which can be avoided with proper system maintenance. In addition to being masters of their craft, our plumbers in Ocala are adept at saving customers money on plumbing repairs. Here are our best tips to keep your plumbing in top shape for the lowest cost.
Dispose Of Food Waste Responsibly
Solids
It has the word “garbage” in its name, but that doesn’t mean your kitchen’s garbage disposal is capable of doing away with all kinds of food waste. It’s designed to shred modest pieces of soft foods into tiny particles that can pass through the pipes without causing clogs. Eggshells and coffee grounds — and even that piece of banana you just dropped on the kitchen floor — may sparingly pass through the disposal. But whole banana peels, half-filled bowls of uneaten pasta, and rock-hard avocado pits are the sorts of waste that terrorize disposals and block pipes.
Most organic food waste makes great compost for gardening, a pastime for many North Central Floridians. Like the circle of life, old food helps to grow new food, and your plumbing stays out of it, happily. Of course, if you’re a renter or have no use for compost, putting food waste in the garbage instead of down the sink can save you big money on garbage disposal maintenance, drain cleaning, piping services, among other plumbing repairs and services.
Grease
Just because food waste isn’t solid doesn’t mean it can be put down the sink drain. The grease that trickles from a George Foreman grill or pools at the bottom of a sauté pan will slide down the drain easily enough, but its journey will be short-lived. In mere minutes, hot grease cools to room temperature and hardens. However far the grease traveled before cooling is where it will remain, stuck to the walls of the pipes and capturing any debris it can until the pipes finally clog.
So what are the options? For one thing, you should throw away grease in the trash, just as you would with solid food waste. Never pour hot grease directly into a trash receptacle; you’d risk burn injuries and the grease might even burn through the plastic garbage bag, creating a mess you don’t want to deal with. Instead, wait for grease to cool after cooking and scrape its solid form into a disposable container. It’s inevitable that some grease from dirty pots, pans, and plates will bypass the drain. For this reason, you should have a grease trap installed. Grease traps are plumbing devices that catch fats, oils, and grease (FOG) before they enter the plumbing system.
Use Home Remedies For Clogged Drains
Discussing how to unclog drains immediately after explaining how to avoid clogged drains might imply we have little faith in people’s ability to treat their plumbing system responsibly. On the contrary, even the most vigilant people can suffer pipe clogs through no fault of their own. Hair down the shower drain, for instance, is hardly a deliberate act. How to unclog a drain, though, is within your control. Those over-the-counter drain cleaners have fun-enough commercials, but they’re highly toxic for humans and equally as abrasive for plumbing systems. You can save money and treat the plumbing more conscientiously by naturally cleaning your clogged drains.
Wire Hook
In a household with several people, the loss of a bathroom can be a travesty. You needn’t be stopped by a clogged drain, though. Find a long piece of wire, such as a coat hanger, and bend the end into a hook. Next, remove the drain cover (YouTube videos can be instructive here, or you can ask a local plumber), then insert the wire to the allowable depth, twist, and pull back up. You won’t be too thrilled with the wad of hair, soap scum, and other nastiness that emerges, but at least you’ll be able to shower off those germs without any clogs.
Dish Detergent
Plumbing pipes don’t get along with FOG. But these forbidden substances aren’t just found in the kitchen. Oil is present in tons of bath products, while fat or grease is in many cosmetics. If a pipe is blocked with FOG, boil a pot of water infused with dish detergent and pour the solution down the drain. The heat melts the grease while the soap breaks down the oils. The FOG will only move so far before it gets stuck again, so you’ll probably need multiple pots of the solution to completely flush-out the pipes.
Plunger
Got a kitchen sink that’s slow to drain? It could be the result of food particles caught in the p-trap (that curved piece of piping that’s connected to the disposal under the sink). Grab a (thoroughly disinfected, or better yet, brand new) plunger, place it over the drain, and put pressure on the handle in an up-and-down motion several times to build suction. Once you rinse the drain with hot water the proper draining functions should be restored.
Spend Money On Plumbing Services Wisely
In an ideal world, you could buy a home or building and that’s the end of the story; everything works perfectly from that point forward. In reality, though, system repairs and upgrades are inevitable. If you spend money wisely on preventative maintenance, however, you can avoid other expenses down the road. Nothing demonstrates this reality better than a plumbing system.
Consider a water heater, which lasts anywhere from 8 years to 15 years or more. Flushing the tank regularly to clean it and replacing the heating components as needed means paying for plumbing services less often. But skipping professional plumbing maintenance to save a few dollars in the short term could cost more in the long term, as the price of maintenance pales in comparison to that of a new water heater installation. This analogy applies to toilets, showers, washing machines, and any other plumbing components.
When you’re trying to save money, it also helps to hire the right plumber for the job. At Sunshine Plumbing and Gas, our philosophy is that customers should never spend their hard-earned money on unnecessary repairs. It’s true that routine maintenance is necessary, while a burst water pipe and a flooding toilet require an emergency plumber. But some plumbing problems can be fixed without the help of a plumber, while others can be prevented altogether.
Use these tips to save money by keeping your plumbing working as it should. And if you ever need help with plumbing in Ocala, don’t hesitate to call us!