Your Water System: 5 Thing You’re Forgetting to Do

Image source: T. Voekler

 Everyone has a system in their home to give them water and to heat it up. There might be some residences that don’t have running water, such as remote cabins. However, even these need some way of providing drinking water. If you live in a home with a modern water and plumbing system, maintaining it is a little different to how you might care for a well. Many people don’t give a lot of thought to their water system until something goes wrong. Perhaps they end up with no hot water, a pipe bursts, or the water starts tasting strange. If you want to prevent these things happening, you should try to maintain your water system, instead of just fixing problems when they occur.

Carry Out Maintenance

Regular maintenance on the parts that make up your home’s water system is important. There are some things you can do yourself, and others for which you should hire a contractor. If you have a water heater, you should start there with maintaining your home. If it breaks, you could end up with no hot water for days or even weeks. It’s also important to keep an eye on water heaters that burn fuel. They could produce carbon monoxide which could enter your home, and that can be deadly. As well as having a yearly inspection of your heater, make sure you have carbon monoxide alarms. One of the jobs you can do yourself is to drain or flush your heater. It has a drain valve which you can open to release some of the water. If it looks particularly dirty, you can flush the tank completely.

Maintain Your Pipes

Maintaining your plumbing includes several jobs you can do yourself. If you take responsibility for it, you can keep it healthy for longer. For example, it’s best not to use drain-cleaning chemicals too often. Instead, prevent clogging using debris catchers over your drains. Watch what goes down the drain carefully and try to clear it often. It’s also a good idea to reduce your water pressure and to soften your water if you need to. For further maintenance, get a plumber to take a look at everything once a year.

 Image source: DryPot

Consider a New Water Heater

You might be diligent about maintaining your water heater, and hire someone to fix it as soon as it breaks. But sometimes, it’s time to admit that your heater is on its last legs. If it has been breaking regularly or it’s not heating water properly, it’s time to start thinking about a new one. You can usually talk to the contractor who repairs your heater about getting a new one. For example, Quick Water Heater both repair and install water heaters. A water heater should last you a good number of years. However, there are some signs to watch out for to see if you should replace it. If it’s more than ten years old, you should think about getting a new one. You might hear noises, see rusty water, or perhaps observe water around the tank.

Maintain Your Water Softening System

In some regions, it’s vital to soften your water. If you don’t, it could be tough on your water system and the water may not be great to drink. If you don’t already have a water softening system in an area with hard water, you should consider whether getting one will benefit you. You can get a plumber to install one, which could help to maintain your whole water system. If you already have one, you have to look after it. This involves a number of tasks you should make sure you do. For example, you should check the salt level and keep it topped up. It’s a good idea to check your system every few months. One of the things you should look out for is salt building up in the brine tank. If this happens, you can start by breaking up the buildup. However, you will need to clean the system to stop it happening again.

Take Small Precautions

There are lots of small things you can do as a one-time task or every day to keep your water system healthy. For example, you should know how to shut off your water if there’s ever an emergency. You should make sure that you don’t leave hoses on spigots outside, especially in winter. Further winter precautions can help too, such as insulating your pipes where they are exposed. If problems do arise, take care of them as soon as possible to prevent further damage.

Looking after your home’s water system could save you a lot of money. You can prevent an expensive problem down the line if you carry out regular maintenance.