It takes years of training and even more years of hands-on experience to become a great plumber. You might not have the time or desire to follow this path yourself but that doesn’t mean you should ignore it completely. Some basic working knowledge will help you make the right decisions for your home’s plumbing system. Here are five things that plumbers want you to know so you will have an easier time with your plumbing.

Not everything can get down a drain

It’s obvious that you should avoid pushing chunks of food down the drain. Did you know that oils and grease can also cause major issues? Even if it’s a liquid when going down, it can easily solidify in your pipes and cause major blockages. Smaller items can also accumulate and while it’s impractical to prevent everything from going down the drain, you need to combine preventative measures (like drain catches) with regular drain cleaning for those bits that do go down.

Water heaters need maintenance

Water heaters don’t just sit there giving you warm showers until it’s time to replace them. You need to maintain them with cleaning and regular inspections to ensure that your heater can do its job for as long as possible. Even with fewer moving parts than other equipment in your home, your water heater needs attention to prevent failure… otherwise you could end up replacing it much sooner than you need to.

Money spent on early repair saves you overall

This applies to many repairs in your home and plumbing is no different. In addition to saving yourself the expense and grief caused by the failed components themselves, you also save on water damage repair, high bills caused by wasted water and the inconvenience of extended downtime. When you run into plumbing problems, address them as soon as possible.

Pipes don’t last forever

Even though pipes typically last many decades, there comes a time when they will need to be replaced. Rather than wait for leaks and cracks and broken pipes, have a plan to replace your piping beforehand. Talk to a plumber about the age and material of your plumbing system and let him help you with that replacement timeline and a budget.

DIY can cause big problems

Taking care of small plumbing items on your own can save you time and money. However, you need to be aware of your own knowledge and expertise as it relates to larger or more complicated items. You don’t want to create more problems for yourself by doing plumbing repair and installation that are better left for a professional.

If you have concerns about whether your plumbing is prepared for spring and the coming warmer weather, give us a call or schedule service online. Our trained and certified technicians are here to take care of springtime plumbing issues and any other plumbing problems you may have.