A working sink and faucet are essential in all homes. People need clean running water for daily activities like washing dishes and brushing teeth. But constant kitchen or bathroom sink use can make either dirty and sometimes even clogged.
As a homeowner, you’re responsible for the care and maintenance of your sinks. It’s costly but not as expensive as buying a whole new installation. This article shares valuable tips for maintaining your faucets and sinks’ best condition.
1. Perform Regular Sink Checkups
Homes are safe when residents regularly check on their installations, especially plumbing systems. Regular inspections prevent severe damage and accidents from happening due to pipe leaks. You could perform these checkups independently or through your local plumber for professional advice on specific issues.
During inspections, watch out for anything that shouldn’t be there. That includes a constantly dripping pipe joint or water draining too slowly. Any concerning changes should be a sign that your sink may need immediate repairs.
Perform checkups and maintenance daily, weekly, and seasonally to ensure the health of your plumbing system. Here’s a quick guide to what you should do every period:
- Daily: Clear all drain debris and throw food refuse at the proper places to avoid clogging. After using your disposer, run cold water from the faucet for 15 seconds.
- Weekly: Check for leaks and moisture underneath your sinks. Run the water in your showers and sinks to test for slow draining.
- Seasonal: Call your plumber to do an annual in-depth inspection of your plumbing system.
Your water lines and valves should also be clean and free from damage to ensure your faucet and sink drains won’t malfunction. Thorough checkups and maintenance will help familiarize you with your fixtures and easily spot sudden changes.
2. Prepare For Colder Months
In winter, households often go ham with heating for hot bath water. However, doing the extremes may only pose more risks to your home’s plumbing system. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use your faucets during winter. The best way to care for your sinks is to practice moderation of usage and proper maintenance methods.
Before the cold comes rolling in and during that time, do these tasks to protect your plumbing:
- Shut off water lines if you’re going out of town.
- Insulate pipes with fiberglass pipe insulation and plastic insulation wraps.
- Open kitchen cabinet doors and keep faucets trickling during cold snaps.
- Insulate your garage door if you have water lines and sinks in the garage.
In the warmer months, inspect your sinks once more for possible leaks. It’s a never-ending process throughout the year. But at least your sink and faucet are working correctly.
3. Avoid Harsh Chemical Cleaning Products
When your sink has a clog in its pipes, you should grab the nearest declogging liquid to resolve the issue. While it’s wise to fix this common problem immediately, you could harm your plumbing system more than fix it.
Strong cleaning chemicals often eat through the sturdiest steel with repeated use. You might damage your pipes by cleaning them. Even if you have an unclogged sink afterward, leaks may form eventually. These tiny leaks might turn into holes in the metal. The chemicals may also contaminate natural water sources and the environment.
So, consider investing in effective yet eco-friendly cleaning liquids instead of using corrosive drain cleaners with hydrochloric or sulfuric acid. If you allow yourself to destroy your pipes, you’ll soon choose a new kitchen sink to replace the damaged one.
4. Reduce Water Pressure
A strong stream of water from the faucet indicates that your home has healthy pipes. But it could also lead to leaks if you use high-pressure water daily. It might affect the faucet, valves, and pipe joints because intense pressure stresses these parts.
A professional plumber can gauge how much pressure your home’s plumbing system can handle. You could also do it yourself with a hose bib gauge available in most hardware stores. Normal water pressure for home faucets is between 40 to 85 psi. If the pressure exceeds this range, a plumber can install a pressure reducer to fix it.
5. Store Manuals And Spare Parts Nearby
Sink maintenance includes knowing what to do when an issue arises. The last thing you want to do is panic when a faucet springs a leak and floods your floor. If problems like that happen, it’s best to have a manual and repair tools nearby.
When you first purchase an appliance or fixture for your home, it usually has a manual or warranty document. Store it in a resealable bag in a cabinet where you put your drain cleaners and other tools under your sink. Include the spare parts that came with the fixtures in this space. You can hang them on the cabinet wall for ease of reach instead of leaving them on the bottom.
Conclusion
Sinks and faucets are two of the most vital features of your home. When these fail to work correctly, they can affect your daily tasks. To avoid inconveniences, apply these easy and foolproof tips. It only involves observation and ample preparation on your end. You can always call a plumber to deal with repairs to be sure.