Get One of the Top 50 Plumbing Blogs Directly to Your Inbox!

Posted by on

Common plumbing emergencies can be entirely avoided with the right care and maintenance.Drain pipe problems and plumbing disasters in Sacramento are never simple; corrosion, soil shifting, chemical breakdown and pipe cracking are common, seemingly unpredictable occurrences. However, did you know that many of the most common drain pipe issues can be entirely avoided with the right maintenance techniques and care behaviors?

In a lot of cases we see, pipe damages and drain clogging problems are entirely avoidable; all it takes is a little know-how and information on the homeowner’s part. In this blog, we’ll make Sacramento drain repair simple with 6 quick, valuable tips.

1.) Stay Up to Date With Regular Check-Ups

When it comes down to it, one of the easiest and most effective ways to ensure your pipes stay in efficient working order is by performing inspections on a regular, consistent basis. Despite what you may be led to believe about Sacramento drain upkeep, you can actually perform self inspections relatively easily, and take problem diagnosis into your own hands by knowing what to look for.

Diagnosing a drain and plumbing problem is made simple when homeowners know the signs; indicators of an impeding plumbing failure or drain malfunction. To better assess the condition of your home drain pipes, make sure to take special note of the following adverse factors, all of which play a common role in home plumbing problems:

  • Frequent and persistent clogging, especially if common to a localized area
  • Poor water flow, discoloration or unnatural odors
  • Rust or material fragments in water
  • Leaking fixtures or damp spotting in home surfaces

2.) Treat Your Drains and Disposal the Right Way

As we see all too often in Sacramento area drain emergencies, much of these problems are the direct result of poor drain care and behaviors. For clogging and recurring pipe backups, this is often the case for garbage disposal units.

Don’t make the same mistake thousands of careless homeowners make every year by flushing all kinds of products through their disposal units. Despite their name, garbage disposals just can’t process everything you throw in them, such as food skins, starchy products, animal bones and cooking oils. These products can actually severely damage your disposal unit, and often build up over time to form persistent, extreme clogging.

3.) Avoid Chemical Cleaning Products

For both everyday drain cleaning and more specialized repair needs, there are a few major things to avoid that can actually worsen conditions in your home. One of these is chemical cleaning products, particularly those that use bleach to break away and remove clogging.

While these chemical products do break apart clogged food materials and oils, they can also eat away at pipe walls, and compromise your entire plumbing system through routine use. The same chemical reactions that make these cleaning products work can actually corrode and ruin your pipes relatively easily, making use of these products a hazardous practice.

Instead, try using homemade clog-fighting remedies, such as baking soda and vinegar mixtures, or even carbonated sodas. The naturally occurring acids and agents in these mixtures can dislodge stubborn clogging just as well as chemical cleaners can, but come with less risks in the long run.

4.) Tools of the Trade at Your Local Home Store

In many cases, plumbing specialists called to a home to repair drain pipes will use specialized plumbing tools you can often find at your local home improvement store. From professional grade drain snakes (or augers) to hex-shaped wrenches and pipe saws, you can often find drain repair tools for sale locally, should your plumbing problems require simple, moderate fixes.

Make sure you know how your home plumbing system works before attempting a DIY repair, however! We can’t stress this point enough. If you’re not sure about the source of your drain problems or the best methods to resolve them, consider contacting a local plumbing expert first. Don’t make matter worse by replacing pipe sections with incompatible components, or damaging your plumbing systems internally.

5.) Know When (and Who) to Ask For Help

As the previous section illustrates, an important part of regular home plumbing maintenance is knowing when, and who, to call for help. Getting in over your head with improper DIY repairs can wind up making matters worse with your drain damage! Instead, contact a drain cleaning professional in your area if you feel the problem may be out of your hands.

For the best home plumbing maintenance possible, considered having a professional drain inspection at least once per year, in addition to regular self-inspections. Having a professional assess your home’s drains can bring to light plumbing issues you may not have caught onto yourself, and limit the cost of repairs down the line. For Sacramento plumbing emergencies, contact the specialists at Express Sewer & Drain. It’s important to find a local plumbing service that specializes in your region; these experts will know the ins-and-outs of local plumbing problems, and can offer the best solution for plumbing problems in your community.

If you’re experiencing adverse performance with your home plumbing system, and need a plumbing specialist to come and inspect drains for damages and persistent clogging, contact us today.

Plumbing Drain Cleaning Special

Topics: Plumbing in Sacramento, Home Plumbing, Drain Cleaning and Repair