There’s the old saying in health and fitness that “prevention is the best medicine,” and it is a proverb that teaches us that taking the time regularly enact preventive measures will result in less frequent and less catastrophic trouble later. For example, people who stay physically fit and largely stick to a balanced diet are less likely to contract serious fitness or dietary illnesses because their daily care has lowered the risks.
For property owners with a home or business in the Tampa, FL area the same applies, especially in plumbing, where small problems can eventually become significant issues that require massive investment to address. For example, if there’s a burst pipe in a wall or ceiling, this may cause water damage and require that section of the wall or ceiling to be torn out and replaced in addition to repairing the pipe.
However, with care and diligence, careful property owners can prevent serious water damage from arising by just taking preventive measures.
5 Steps Every Tampa, FL Property Owner Should Take With Their Plumbing To Avoid Water Damage
1) Regular Inspection
The first and most important preventive step in plumbing is to commit to a schedule of regular inspections. Fortunately, this doesn’t have to be a daily, weekly, or monthly schedule. Even just inspecting things twice a year, before a major seasonal change, may be sufficient to prevent big problems.
If you’re lucky, your inspection will yield nothing and show that your plumbing is all in good health. However, regular inspection shows its real value in showing smaller plumbing issues while they are cheaper and more manageable. For example, a tiny leak or crack in a pipe is more affordable, faster, and easier to fix than a break or burst.
2) Check Your Water Pressure
The optimal water pressure for pipes on a property is between 40-50 psi. If you prefer to have your water pressure set to something higher, you run the risk of weakening your pipes due to the constant exposure to high pressure beyond acceptable tolerances. Conversely, if you take a reading and see that you have lower than usual water pressure, without you adjusting, this may be a sign that there’s a leak somewhere.
3) Monitor Water Usage
It’s never a good idea to pay the water bill as it arrives and not question the usage. In some ways, your water bill can be an early warning that you may have some issues with your plumbing. Remember, you are being charged according to what the meter on the property indicates is the water that has left the pipes. This is not only a measurement of water used for flushing toilets, showers, or laundry. Any leaks in your pipes will count as water usage and be picked up by the water meter.
If you look at your water meter, and no water is currently being used on the property, but the water meter is ticking off usage, you probably have a leak somewhere.
4) Don’t Treat The Toilet As A Wastebasket
Depending on the home or business, some properties may have children, employees, or even customers who treat toilets like trash cans. Toilets and drainage pipes are designed to remove used water and human waste materials from the property. Children flushing down toys, employees or customers smoking and flushing cigarettes, or even flushing paper towels, not toilet paper, can all accumulate in a drainage pipe and eventually cause a blockage that can come back up the drain pipe and cause water damage.
5) Don’t Overuse Chemical Pipe Cleaners
There are many products available for clearing up slow drains that are partially blocked by food, hair, or other materials. These cleaners, however, are essentially acids. While these products are designed to be used in modern plumbing, overuse of these products can damage the pipes themselves.
It’s better in most cases to use plungers or plumbing snakes, which do not chemically compromise your pipes, but if you must use chemical cleaners, do so sparingly.
By taking proactive measures to protect your pipes, you will eliminate many of the causes that can lead to more serious water damage.
Plumbing emergencies are not the only source of costly water damage. As every resident of Tampa knows, rain storms can cause costly water damage too.
No matter what the cause, if you do need help with water damage cleanup and restoration or mold remediation in Tampa, Florida, Drywizard Restoration & Drywall Inc. can help. Contact them at (813) 684-4800.
