With the help of a few small changes or simple upgrades, you can easily safeguard your house against possible issues and save money on repairs. This is especially important for certain parts of your home that can cause significant damage if a problem occurs, and plumbing is one of them. Plumbing issues can result in clogged drains and toilets, low water pressure, and even house flooding. Therefore, instead of dealing with a problem when it occurs, here’s what you need to do to prevent it from happening in the first place.

Insulation of Pipes

Pipe insulation is as important as the insulation of the rest of your home. During winter, water can freeze inside the pipes and cause costly problems. In order to avoid this, you should check your pipes, especially those in the attic, basement, crawlspace and outbuildings, since they are particularly exposed to the risk of freezing. Once you’ve done with the audit, you should insulate the pipes using fibreglass, space heaters and foam board.

Leaky and Clogged Toilet

Toilet leaks are one of the most common plumbing issues and they should be dealt with as soon as they occur. You can easily test whether you have a leaky toilet – you should pour food dye into the tank before going to bed. In the morning, if there’s dye in the bowl, it means that your toilet is leaking and that you need to replace the flapper valve. The repair won’t cost you much and it will actually pay off in the long run – you will prevent water loss and reduce your water bill.

When it comes to clogging, you should be careful about what you flush down the toilet. Under no circumstances should you flush anything but toilet paper. If you notice some simple clogging issues, you can easily resolve them by using a plunger. However, if your toilet is overflowing, you should immediately shut off the water.

Disposal Control

One mistake that is often made is treating a disposal as a trashcan, which can cause drain clogs. In addition, you can seriously damage the disposal itself if you don’t steer clear of certain materials. The following types of food shouldn’t be thrown into disposal: onion skins, banana peels, shrimp shells, fruit pits, nuts, rice, paste, large bones, potato peels and grease. Being selective about the waste you throw into your disposal is a simple, yet efficient habit that will help you evade clogging problems.

Stopping the Leaks

Leaky faucets can cause serious plumbing issues and they are a source of water loss. These leaks are often caused by tearing of rubber or plastic seals. With the right tools, you can easily take care of the leaks; just make sure to be careful in order not to damage the faucet.

Maintenance of the Main Valve

Maintaining the main valve is of utmost importance, since it regulates the water flow in your entire home. This doesn’t require much effort – all you need to do is check whether it works properly from time to time and deal with a possible problem the moment it occurs. In addition, you need to know exactly which valve is the main one, since you’ll have to turn off water in case of severe flooding. If you’re going to be away for a while, you should shut off the main valve until you come back.

Being Prepared for Emergencies

Even if you take all the necessary measures, a plumbing problem may occur, and if that happens, you need to be prepared to act immediately. You should have an emergency tool kit and always remember to shut off the water entirely to be able to deal with the problem. However, in case of more serious issues, it’s advisable that you contact an emergency plumber. Therefore, make sure to obtain the contact number and keep it somewhere where you can easily find it.

By applying several simple measures, you can avoid spending a fortune on unnecessary plumbing repairs. After all, it’s better to be safe than sorry.