The purchase of your first home is an exciting and busy time. In addition to the care and upkeep of the aesthetics of your property, you’ll also need to become savvy with some basic home maintenance, particularly the plumbing system. If this is all new to you, here are a few tips to help you maintain the system, as well as when you should call a plumber.

How to Care for the Plumbing System in a New Home

1. Learn to Diagnose a Toilet Leak

If your toilet keeps running after it’s flushed, it may indicate a leak. Leaks can run up the water bill, but before calling a plumber, do a simple test first to see if the problem is something you can easily fix by yourself. Put a few drops of food coloring into the tank and wait for 30 minutes. Now look in the toilet bowl. If the water is colored, it means you need to replace the flapper; the flapper is the piece that allows water to go from the tank to the bowl. There’s a chance that sediment may be built up around it and holding it open. If that’s the case, you can easily clear away the debris with a cloth.

2. Know Your Plungers

There are three types of plungers, all for different plumbing problems. Toilet plungers have a rubber cup at the bottom of the handle, with an additional rubber flap that folds back into the cup. The flap fits into drains to provide the necessary suction to unclog toilets. Sink plungers look similar but don’t have the extra flap. This makes them ideal for flatter surfaces. Accordion plungers are made of hard plastic and also used for toilets; the ribbed, accordion plastic produces more force for dealing with stubborn clogs.  

3. Maintain Your Drains

A large part of maintaining your plumbing is knowing what can and cannot go down the drain. Avoid putting food, oil, or grease down your sink drains and refrain from flushing anything other than toilet paper and waste. Keep your drains clear and watch what goes down them, and install strainers around shower drains to catch hair, which gets caught up with soap scum and forms clogs.

If you’re looking for a reliable plumber in your new area, Wild West Plumbing Heating & Drain Service proudly services the entire Flathead Valley Region of Montana. This fully licensed team of professional plumbers offers a wide range of services to help you maintain your home’s plumbing system. Visit them online to see a full list of their services, or call them today at (406) 752-1244 to schedule an appointment.