Have you ever met anyone who completes a regular bathroom inspection? I think most of us would say no, but I did have a neighbor that regularly checked for plumbing leaks. I also had another neighbor that drained their water heater once a year of the mineral deposits. Most of us wait until something goes wrong before we take action. Benjamin Franklin once said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Our current translation says, “An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.” However you say it, nothing is more true. With our cars, we tune them up, change the oil, and keep them running smoothly; but with our home, we rarely offer any maintenance. Below is a way to routinely inspect your bathroom.Bathroom Drains
Keep your drains moving freely throughout the home. Your pipes will not last forever, so if you treat them right and maintain them, you could extend their life expectancy. First, on your bathroom inspection checklist is bathroom drains. Everyone has experienced a slow-moving bathroom drain, whether that is a bathtub, shower, or sink. If you have young kids or teenagers, it is a common event. Let’s first understand why your drains frequently get clogged. Your drains have a black slime that is usually toward the top of your drains. The black slime is a living bacteria that consists of bathroom products such as hair, hand lotion, soap film, toothpaste, and phlegm.
Solution:
To keep your drain from clogging in the first place, watch what you put down your drains. Try to avoid hair and bathroom products from going down the drain. Pouring a kettle of hot water down your drain each week could keep black slime from forming, especially if you have a jack and jill bathroom that receives lots of use. You can also pour a quarter cup of baking soda down the drain then drizzle with vinegar for monthly maintenance. Similarly, to clear bathroom drains that are already slow-moving, here are the steps:
- To start, pour a kettle of boiling water down the drain.
- Pour a half a cup of baking soda down the drain.
- Drizzle with vinegar and let sit for ten minutes. You’ll see it working.
- Pour another kettle of hot water down your drain. This should do the trick.
Another option is to use a Drano or Liquid Plumber gel. These products are safe, scientifically tested, and WILL NOT damage metal, plastic, or porcelain. The products are not designed for toilet drains but will remove black slime safely.
Warning:
Whenever you use a drain cleaner, read the label carefully, and only use as directed. Never use drain cleaners that contain acidic chemicals such as sulfuric acid or hydrochloric acid which can damage porcelain, metal, and almost any other material.
Check For Leaks In The Bathroom
When you access your bathroom products from under your sink, check for signs of a leak. Take a few extra seconds to feel for moisture and look for any signs of mold. Additionally, once a month, turn off and on your hot and cold water compression valves under your sink and behind your toilet to keep it flexible.
Check Your Toilet For Leaks At Least Twice A Year
Most homeowners don’t know that their toilet is leaking. While our toilets are capable of lasting for years, the parts inside the toilet are not. The most common part to deteriorate is the flapper valve; replacing one costs under ten bucks. To check for a leak, add a couple of drops of food coloring to your toilet tank and wait thirty minutes. If the food coloring appears in your tank, then you have a toilet leak. You don’t need to be a do-it-yourselfer to make the fixes.
How To Change the Flapper:
- Turn your water off at the compression valve.
- Flush the toilet to remove the water.
- Remove the flapper at the bottom of the toilet.
- Take it to your local home center and match it with a new one.
- Bring it home and replace it. Then turn the water back on.
Hundreds Of Top-Notch Reviews Across The Internet
At Big B’s Plumbing, we’re ready to tackle any of your plumbing issues. We take great pride in the service you provide, with hundreds of top-notch reviews across the internet and social networks like Facebook, Google Business, the BBB, and Yelp!. We’re an accredited plumbing company with the Better Business Bureau with an A+ rating. Licensed, insured, and bonded #986152. If you need a bathroom inspection checklist, we have you covered.
Related Pages:
New Toilet Installation and Bidet Installs, Escondido
