27 Aug Preventing the Emergency Plumbing Service Call

Sometimes we take for granted our basic household necessities.  In a perfect world, toilets always flush, showers drain, garbage disposals grind up those potato peels, and plenty of hot water is available for a nice long, leisurely bath.

Somehow it seems that at the most inopportune times, something goes wrong.  That pipe under your sink bursts with a sink full of dirty dishes.  Your water heater goes out when you have a houseful of guests.  And, of course, the toilet just has to back up on Thanksgiving or Christmas morning causing you to have to make an emergency plumbing service call.

Regular plumbing maintenance can often eliminate the need for an emergency plumbing service call.  This includes regular preventative maintenance and fixing any tiny problems before they become large expensive emergencies.

One of the most common problems we experience at All American Plumbing Services is backed-up toilets and drains.  Many of these situations can be avoided by just remembering three simple things:

1. Flush only toilet paper down the toilet! Do NOT flush feminine products, cotton swabs, paper towels or wipes, etc…
2. Fix leaky toilets.  One leaky toilet can waste up to 78,000 gallons of water per year.  That’s enough water to fill a swimming pool.  Toilet leaks waste water and, depending on where the leak is can destroy foundations and flooring.  You can determine if your tank has a leak by pouring a little food coloring into the tank then checking the bowl a couple of hours later to see if there’s any color in the water.  Repairing leaks now may allow you to avoid an emergency plumbing service call later.
3. What are you pouring down your drain?  It might be only a little bit of grease, but it all adds up.  Liquid grease cools down and solidifies in your drain, quickly clogging and causing your sink to back up.  Instead of dumping it down your drain, pour grease into a can, freeze and throw it away.
4. Hair can be a shower or tub’s worst enemy.  Purchase a trap to catch any hair and soap residue before it clots your drain.

As Murphy’s Law says, “anything that can go wrong will go wrong.” We’ve all experienced that in one way or another.  There aren’t really any “right” times to have plumbing problems, but there sure are a lot of “wrong” ones.