It’s fair to say that many people are terrified of tampering with their home’s infrastructure, and we understand that. Nobody wants to be liable for their home flooding, the commode spewing sewage all over the restroom, or anything else involving large amounts of water or human refuse being in places where they don’t belong. As a general rule, however, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. The greatest thing you can do for the infrastructure in your home is also the simplest: maintain it.
Our time of talking with a professional plumber in Melbourne, FL. has made us very aware of how plumbing works and we have found that most problems can be avoided by following a few basic guidelines.
Ten Suggestions for Avoiding Toilet Problems
Regularly clean your lavatory with a mild cleanser. Regular porcelain cleansing can be done with vinegar, baking soda, or a mild cleanser. Not only does cleansing your toilet help you maintain a more hygienic and pleasant-smelling bathroom, but it also allows you to swiftly identify any plumbing leaks or plumbing issues. How will you know if the water on the floor is from your shower, your toilet, or the sleepwalking male members of your household if you never clean around the toilet?
DO NOT use chemical drain cleansers to clear a clogged commode. While some engineers say “yes” and others say “no” regarding the use of these products, we believe the danger is simply not worth taking. Not only are these substances hazardous to your health if they are inadvertently splattered on your skin, ingested, or inhaled, but they can also damage older fixtures and pipelines, and nobody wants them in our water systems. If they eliminate the beneficial microbes in septic systems, they can also cause a great deal of problems for residences with such systems.
DO inspect the interior workings of your toilet every six months to ensure the components are in excellent condition and functioning correctly. Remove the tank cover then flush the commode. Observe the operation of the components, ensuring that the flapper seals properly and the fill valve ceases flowing at the correct water level.
DO immediately repair a running or leaky commode. Toilet leaks are typically “silent” in the sense that you will not necessarily discover a puddle of water on the floor, as the water typically leaks from the tank into the basin (and down the toilet). This makes it relatively simple to disregard the breach or continue delaying its repair. Toilet leaks are typically slow breaches, so you may not even notice a small increase in your expenses each month until you realize that you’re paying $100 more for water this month than you were a year ago.
DO NOT utilize a boulder to conserve water in your cistern. Unless your commode is older than the mid-1990s, you’re using 1.6 gallons or less per flush, and most sewage systems require that amount of water to move refuse effectively. If your commode is ancient and you want to conserve water, fill a water container with sand or small rocks and use it to displace some of the water. Bricks can deteriorate and obstruct pipelines.
DO instruct children on how to properly maintain a restroom. This is easiest during toilet training, but you can also teach older children what can and cannot be evacuated, how to monitor their toilet paper usage to prevent blockages, and how to clean a toilet properly. These are abilities that will come in convenient when they eventually move into their own apartments or houses.
DO NOT discharge anything besides human excrement and toilet paper. Thank you. Simply don’t. We can’t emphasize this enough.
DO consider the type of lavatory paper you are utilizing. Although you may enjoy the super soft ultra deluxe plush toilet paper you’re using, your sewage or septic system probably does not (especially your septic system, which has enough to break down without adding indestructible toilet paper). Using excessive toilet paper or toilet paper that does not break down readily can clog the sewage pipelines in your home and cause blockages in the lateral line that connects your home to the municipal sewage line.
DO purchase a flange plunger and learn how to use it correctly. With a pail of hot water and a decent plunger, you can remove the majority of toilet clogs. If a plunger is ineffective, an auger or snake is an excellent alternative. Despite this…
DO NOT hesitate to contact a plumber when necessary. Some tasks are simply too large or complex for even the most experienced do-it-yourselfers to perform on their own. If your toilet continually clogs or brown water backs up into your shower or sink when you flush, these are signs of a more serious issue for which you will need professional assistance.
