Kitchens are a prime location for plumbing issues to happen in your home. This is because of the amount of waste that is generated in kitchens, explains Red Roof Rentals
A lot of this waste finds its way into the kitchen’s plumbing, ultimately causing problems like slow drains and clogs.
Knowing how the features of your kitchen plumbing work – sinks, dishwashers and garbage disposals – and how they influence the performance of your plumbing is essential. It is also vital to know the steps to prevent problems in the system.
These steps involve preventive and corrective measures, working hand-in-hand to minimize plumbing problems in the kitchen. In this post, we discuss 10 effective tips to keep the plumbing pipes in your kitchen working efficiently at all times.
10 plumbing tips to keep your kitchen pipes clear
Be careful what goes into your drain
Problems in the kitchen plumbing are often caused by the things we pour down the drain. Some food wastes that appear harmless can cause massive issues once they get inside your drainpipes. Examples of such food waste include; coffee grinds, eggshells, stringy vegetables (such as celery), starchy foods, (like rice and mashed potatoes), and many more.
Never dump FOGS into the sink
Another type of kitchen waste that should never go into the drain is FOGs (fats, oils & grease). Although soft and runny inside the kitchen, fats, oil and grease hardens and form a mass inside your drainpipes. This oily mass not only sticks to pipe walls but also catches the debris inside the pipes, speeding up the buildup rate within the system.
Install drain strainers
A good strainer in the sink drain will reduce the amount of work you have to do to keep debris out of your kitchen plumbing. Strainers filter out the particles inside wastewater while allowing the water to pass through. This small step can have a huge impact on the performance of your kitchen plumbing, just as long you buy the right strainer and remember to clean it regularly.
Avoid chemical drain cleaners
Chemical drain cleaners are marketed as a “quick, cheap and effective” way to remove drain clogs. However, these products can damage the pipes in your kitchen plumbing. That is because chemical drain cleaners mostly use heat as their active mechanism for dissolving clogs. Drain cleaners can also damage your pipes while trying to remove blockages inside your pipes.
Flush the pipes every week
Instead of chemical drain cleaners, use homemade remedies. These are cheap products that you may already have in your kitchen. They are easy to use and will not damage your pipes. Once a week, you want to flush the kitchen drain with hot water. Baking soda, vinegar, borax and salt can also be used safely to clear drain clogs.
Protect your garbage disposal
Do not use your garbage disposal as a waste bin. Wrong use of the garbage disposal will not only damage the apparatus, it can predispose your plumbing to problems. Flush the garbage disposal unit regularly with hot water or a baking soda and white vinegar mix. At least once every six months, you want to have the garbage disposal professionally serviced.
Educate everyone in your home
Protecting your home’s plumbing should be everyone’s responsibility. Everyone in your household should understand the basics of caring for the kitchen plumbing. They should know the things they can and cannot do. They should know the steps to take if a plumbing emergency occurs in your home.
Know when not to DIY
A lot of the problems in the kitchen plumbing are due to homeowners not knowing when not to use DIY. Some issues in your kitchen plumbing should only be handled by a licensed and experienced plumber. Trying to fix these problems yourself gives them time to get worse. The attempted repair may even complicate the issue. Calling a professional plumber at the right time helps you save money and avoid plumbing emergencies.
Schedule professional inspection
Regular professional inspection is crucial for the health and longevity of your kitchen plumbing. This inspection should be done by a professional kitchen plumber. Homeowners can only do a superficial inspection of the accessible parts of the plumbing. However, an expert plumber has the tools and techniques to find out what is going on inside the hidden sections of your kitchen plumbing.
Clean your drains once a year
In addition to inspecting the plumbing once a year, you want to have it cleaned professionally. Cleaning your drains is not something you only do when you have plumbing emergencies. Drain cleaning is the most useful step for preventing plumbing issues and prolonging the life of your kitchen plumbing.
Most problems in your kitchen plumbing can be avoided completely or, at least, their impact minimized. You will need to be more intentional in using the plumbing. It is also a good idea to enlist the help of a reputable professional plumber.