How You Can Prevent Flood Damage, Leaks and Clogs

You expect your home’s plumbing to run smoothly, but hidden issues can hide around every corner. Thankfully, you can prevent obstructions, leaks and water damage with a little regular upkeep. Here’s how to keep your water flowing and your stress levels low.

1. Know What Not to Put in the Drain

Many kitchen sinks may be fitted with a garbage disposal, but several things still instead of rinsed down the drain, including:

• Cooking grease
• Fibrous foods like corn and celery
• Sticky foods like steamed rice or coffee grounds
• Solid objects like gristle and animal bones
• Things that aren’t food. Silverware and other small items can fall into the disposal and cause damage when you turn it on.

2. Be Aware of What Not to Flush

Toilets are designed to dispose of human waste and toilet paper. Here’s what you should never flush:

• Baby and/or wet wipes
• Paper towels
• Cotton swabs and cotton balls
• Women’s hygiene products
• Baby diapers
• Dental floss
• Out-of-date medications

3. Use Mesh Strainers

An easy method to lower the risk of clogging is to place drain strainers over your kitchen and bathroom drains. They collect hair, pieces of soap, old toothpaste and other debris as water runs down the drain. Regularly clean these strainers to keep your drains running smoothly.

4. Find the Main Shutoff Valve

Being familiar with your plumbing system means knowing the location of your main water shutoff valve. This valve manages water entering your home, so knowing where it is means you can turn it off quickly in a plumbing emergency. It’s also wise to turn off this valve before traveling for an extended period. Common locations for the main shutoff valve include the basement, near the water heater, in a utility closet or outside the home in the ground.

5. Add a Sump Pump to Your Basement

Installing a sump pump will go a long way toward preventing flooding, particularly in climates prone to heavy rainfall. This device extracts water that accumulates in the sump basin, usually found in the basement, and expels it away from the house. If you already have a sump pump, test it regularly by adding some water into the pit. If the pump activates and the pit drains, it’s working fine. If it isn’t draining properly, you have time to call a professional to fix it before another rainstorm.

6. Install Flood Flood Alarms

Similar to how smoke alarms are a big part of good fire safety, flood alarms can help avoid water damage. These hardwired or battery-operated devices detect water at the earliest stages of flooding or leaks, triggering an alarm to alert you. For further protection, install smart flood alarms into your home security system. This alerts you on your phone as soon as water has been detected, enabling you to deal with leaks before they cause significant damage.

7. Install a Backflow Valve

Experienced plumbers often suggest that homeowners put in a backflow valve in the basement floor drain to keep sewage from backing up into their homes during heavy rainfall. Professionals can fit this effective defense against sewage flowing back into the house.

Learn to Recognize and Prevent Leaks of All Sizes

Now that we’ve covered best practices and useful plumbing accessories, let’s review some preventive steps you can take to avoid leaks, or worse, burst pipes.

Most of your home plumbing system is concealed, so leaks often go on for weeks until they create the potential for water damage. Regularly checking for leaks can help you identify problems quickly. Here’s how:

• Check under the sink for signs of damp spots, wood decay or mold growth.
• Keep an eye out for tiny leaks in any of your toilets by squeezing some drops of food coloring to the tank. If the color shows up in the bowl after 30 minutes without flushing, you’ve got a leak.
• Examine around and behind your kitchen appliances, including the dishwasher or washing machine, for signs of water damage or leaks.
• Schedule a water meter test.
  • To start, close off all water in your home via the water main.
  • Then, go outside to check the water meter. Check it again after two hours, being careful not to use any water before the second reading.
  • If the reading goes up, it means there’s a leak somewhere.

Do Everything You Can to Avoid Frozen Pipes

In colder climates, doing your part to protect vulnerable pipes is vital if you want to prevent freezing and bursting. Here are some professional recommendations:

• Insulate pipes in purely functional/utility spaces like the basement, garage or attic with foam tubing or heating tape.
• Unhook garden hoses from outdoor faucets throughout the winter to stop ice from forming inside the pipes.
• Keep all cabinets with plumbing pipes open during frigid weather to keep warm air circulating around the pipes.

Trust Dependable Local Plumbers for Support

While you can carry out a wide variety preventive steps on your own to stop clogs, leaks and flood damage, there are situations where you need an experienced plumber to keep things flowing smoothly. That’s where can help. We work with some of the best plumbers supporting U.S. homeowners from coast to coast with service backed by a 100% satisfaction guarantee. If you’re not completely thrilled with your level of service by next year, we will do whatever it takes to make it right. This industry-leading dedication shows how we deliver total comfort and peace of mind in your life. For professional local plumbing service that exceeds expectations, please contact us today