Things to consider when improving your home
Home ownership is a great privilege and a daunting responsibility. When you purchased your home, something about it called out to you — almost as if the house itself said, “Welcome home”. In all of your enchantment, perhaps you didn’t factor in the upkeep that your home would need over the years to maintain its beauty and functionality. You certainly weren’t anticipating problems with plumbing.
If your home is having plumbing issues, then you need to take this seriously. Water is a necessity for much of what you do in your house and, when unchecked, plumbing issues can lead to health problems and structural damage to your house. Continue reading to see how you can prevent or repair problems with your plumbing.
Detecting plumbing problems
Your home’s pipes are like its arteries: they bring water into your home for consumption and flush water and waste out of your home for sanitation. You don’t have to be a plumber to know that your system is malfunctioning — its infirmities will make it evident in the forms of backups and leaks. Some problems will be easily fixed simply by tightening a joint, and others may require that you call in a professional.
In order to know how to proceed, you need to determine whether the problem is in the main line that connects your home to the city’s water system, or a secondary one. If the problem is in a secondary pipe, then it can be handled at that source, i.e. sink, toilet, bathtub. If the problem is in the sewer line, then your entire home has a plumbing problem.
If you believe that there is a problem in the main pipe that connects to the sewer, then the problem is bigger than a small leak or build up in a secondary line. Contact a plumber who provides sewer camera inspection services. The problem could be anything from a leak to tree roots moving, growing in, or busting the pipe. A trained professional with the right equipment can pinpoint the problem and prevent you from spending money on unnecessary and ineffective repairs.
How sewage problems affect your house
There are some signs that will alert you that you have a plumbing issue in the sewer line right away. If your commode makes a gurgling sound when it’s flushed, or looks like it is regurgitating waste, that is an early warning sign. The presence of mold and mildew on your walls, ceilings, or floorboards indicates that you have a problem with moisture, and this could be caused by your sewer line as well.
In addition to causing mold and mildew, sewage problems can damage the structure of your house. A broken line can even cause the foundation of your house to move. If you notice cracks forming in your wall or ceiling, then this could be a sign that your main sewage line has burst. If this problem goes unfixed, then you will find your home falling apart at the seams and the spaces in between.
How sewage problems affect your health
Your sewage system is your family’s first line of defense against serious viruses and infestations. Sewage problems stink — literally and figuratively, but that is secondary to the danger that stagnant human refuse causes.
Waste attracts bacteria and parasites, and if you allow sewage to gather in or around your home, then you’re inviting illness. Collected waste leads to bacterial viruses like salmonella, diarrhea, and hepatitis. In addition, your home could become a host for parasites like hookworms, threadworms, and tapeworms. Your plumbing system isn’t just a matter of modern-day convenience, it has an influence on your family’s health.
Repairing your home’s sewage line can be a heavy duty and expensive fix. However, it could protect your family from serious health issues and prevent structural damage to your home. Once it is fixed, you need to do everything to make sure that water flows and flushes properly in your home.
Preventing future problems can be as simple as replacing your current roof with Everdrain, being more careful about what you flush down the toilet, and flushing your pipes regularly by filling your sinks and tub with water and draining them.