Tips to Avoid a Plumbing Emergency
admin • April 13, 2020

Woman in gloves calls for help while holding a bucket under a leaking sink.Of course, we all love and appreciate emergency plumbers, but that does not mean we want them in our homes. Why? Because having to call an emergency plumber means that you’ve likely got a plumbing emergency on your hands!

Fortunately, we know quite a few tricks to help you avoid plumbing emergencies, and below, we have outlined some of them for you. All you have to do is keep reading to find out more, and of course, remember to call us when you need an Olympia, WA plumber! 

What Can You Do to Avoid an Emergency?

There are a number of things you can do to prevent plumbing emergencies in your home. Here are a few of them:

1. Don’t pour F.O.G. down the sink

F.O.G, or  fats, oils, and grease  are among the worst things that you can pour down your kitchen sink, as they easily lead to major clogs. These cooking oils look harmless when their hot because they’re in liquid form. But have you seen what they look like when they cool down? They become a sticky, waxy substance. Imagine that residue clinging to the interior of your drainpipes, slowly building up until clogs are inevitable, and no amount of plunging will fix it. Pour F.O.G. out into another receptacle and put it in the trash.

2. Arrange for regular drain cleaning

This ties into the trouble with F.O.G.—because some of it will go down your drains no matter what. Plus, there’s soap scum and other debris that enter the drains. The best way to avoid drainpipe trouble is to schedule preventive drain cleaning with professionals once a year. We’ll scour out the drains and make them as good as new. You’ll rarely have clogs of any kind.

3. Don’t flush “flushable” wipes

Pre-moistened wet wipes are more common now than ever, but they aren’t flushable—no matter what the label may say. These wipes tend to stick together and can congeal into a solid lump, which means a difficult clog to remove.

4. Be careful of what you throw down the disposal

Your garbage disposal was not designed to handle anything and everything that’s thrown into it. It’s not for actual garbage, despite the name  garbage disposal. Don’t put any organic items down it that are too hard for human teeth to chew (fruit pits, meat bones, unpopped popcorn kernels) or stringy foods like asparagus and onion skins. Pasta and rice are also troublesome because they absorb water.

Remember, Maintenance is Key

Of course, the best way to prevent problems from occurring is routine maintenance. During your plumbing maintenance services, your plumber will be able to inspect every inch of your system in order to locate and correct minor issues before they become major. Trust us, it’s a lot easier to call for maintenance than it is to clean up after a burst pipe!

Ready to schedule your plumbing services? Great! All you have to do is contact the team at Brooks Plumbing Company today to get started. Quality in Everything We Do.

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