Spring Plumbing Tips
Hallelujah!! Spring weather is finally here, and with the start of the new season comes spring cleaning! Whilst your home and garden are the first areas that come to mind for the big overhaul, your pipes and drainage systems will benefit from a bit of TLC too.
Plumbing Prevention Is Much Better (And Cheaper) Than Cure!
Checking your plumbing for areas that may need maintenance and/or repairs is important to ensure it is efficient for the summer months, where water is typically in heavy use. Any major issues can be addressed now to ensure you don’t run out of water when you need it most.
Some quick and simple Spring Plumbing tips include:
- Check taps for drips and leaks. Replace washers if needed.
- Check toilets for hidden leaks using the food colour test – add 10 drops of food colouring to the upper tank; if the toilet is leaking, the colour will appear in the bowl within 10-20 minutes.
- Check and unclog strainers over drains.
- Inspect toilet bowl for cracks.
- Make sure your toilets flush properly – aren’t filling too high or draining too slow.
- Check your temperature setting on your hot water unit.
- Drain your hot water unit to flush out corrosion and sediment.
- Check exposed pipes under laundry troughs and bathroom sinks for leaks or corrosion.
- Check yard drains, gutters and downpipe spouts for dead leaves and debris that may have become stuck with the rain over winter.
- Check outside hoses and taps for leaks, cracks or damage.
Need Help With Your Plumbing?
These tips are brought to you by Mainline Plumbing & Cheap Hot Water & Gas to assist you in preparing your plumbing for the warmer months ahead. The team at Mainline are more than happy to provide professional advice, with almost 40 years experience servicing Bunbury and surrounds. For all your plumbing, hot water and gas needs, Mainline Plumbing & Cheap Hot Water & Gas is your local choice, so call today
on 9791 1608 (Bunbury) or 9759 1317 (Dunsborough).
Is your home a bit older and still connected to its’ own septic tank?
Septic tanks can seem a more eco-friendly option, however they require a lot more maintenance. Regularly inspections of the ground surrounding the tank to check for overflowing, increased chance of pipe blockage, pumping out the tank and the significant cost of repair should the tank leak or overflow. Whilst deep sewerage connects a community and maintenance is paid for by local governments (via rates), septic tanks are the responsibility of the private landowner and costs to repair or maintain can be significant for an individual to incur.
One of the biggest, and sneakiest wasters of water in your home is your toilet. Water is a precious resource that needs to be conserved and used wisely and as many of us know, water leaks lead to big water bills. You may have only one, or you may have 2 or 3, but that sneaky little necessity that sits so unsuspectingly in your bathroom or laundry (or even in a room of its own) can be costing you more money than you think.
The prevalence of hard water in newer housing estates and the presence of more chemicals in our community water supply contributes significantly to the wear and tear of our home fixtures, especially if they are made of plastic, rubber or metal. Rust and sediment forms easily on metal, allowing the fixture to become brittle and break easily, as with plastic and rubber.
The cause for your wall’s new complexion may be contributed to a few factors, however the main culprit is usually water damage. Water damage occurs to interior walls when a plumbing pipe is leaking significantly and water is sitting in your wall cavity. It usually presents at the bottom of the wall in a corner, the best place for water to drip down and pool inside the wall and generally in the room opposite.
Call your Plumber Immediately
Water damage to walls and flood damage caused by faulty appliances or severe weather conditions are different issues and are treated as such on your insurance policy. Any water damage that occurs due to lack of maintenance or gradual leaks may not be included in your policy. Double check the fine print to make sure you are covered, as hard water in many suburbs is a contributing factor to leaking pipes and this issue is becoming more common, even in newer homes.
Whilst it’s not always the most popular topic of conversation, the toilet is one of the most essential working appliances in your home. Everybody uses it and when problems arise with it, everybody knows about it. Gone are the days of trotting out to the back garden in the freezing cold or pouring rain to sit amongst the flies and mosquitos to get the job done, however the marvels of modern day technology are of little benefit when your 
Ask any parent and they’ll tell you that a lot more than what’s suitable goes into the toilet. Substantial amounts of toilet paper or non-flushable items, as well as things that some might think are good to flush but are definitely not (baby wipes, paper towel, sanitary products, nappies), cause clogging of the drains that can become big problems further down the line if not rectified quickly. Older toilets are typically low flow and can experience significantly more blockages than newer models.
Sounds In Other Drains When Flushing
With the vast amount of information on the internet, many people are choosing to DIY a significant number of their household repairs. From fixing the guttering to servicing your car, more and more people are attempting their own fix it jobs, often with disastrous results. There is a reason tradesmen train for so long in their chosen trade and as home and business owners, we need to take advantage of the skilled and diverse workforce we have to choose from when it comes to finding a professional to install, repair or maintain our investments, no matter how small.
Correct Tools and Safety Equipment
Any major changes with your plumbing fixtures, water supply, septic/sewerage, you must be law call a licenced plumber. For any gas works you need a plumber who also has a gas fitter’s licence.
Older homes, those located on acreage or in rural communities without access to sewage will have a septic tank on the property. These are large, underground tanks are usually composed of concrete but can be made from fibreglass, PVC or plastic and they are the primary storage for your household wastewater. An absorption method is always implemented so that when the waste is decomposed through bacterial activity, it has a way to drain into the surrounding soil. However, septic tanks are not a ‘leave a forget’ system of wastewater management and will often need 
Have you noticed nasty smells coming from the garden? A wet patch or super green grass above your septic tank? Is the water draining slowly and your pipes smell bad? These can all be signs that there is a problem with your septic tank; more than likely it is too full. Resist the urge to pour any kind of chemicals or cleaning agents down the drains in an attempt to dissolve the wastewater; call your licensed plumber.
Let’s start with what 
More regulations and standards
Mainline Plumbing & Cheap Hot Water & Gas have a huge range of commercial clients:
Smell
Blocked pipes are a disaster waiting to happen and although they take time to accumulate to become a big problem, prevention is simple and a lot more cost-effective than time and money spent unclogging and repairing the pipes.
Cooking Fat and Oils
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