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So you’ve finally got around to buying your first house. Whether you’re a newlywed, having a child or looking to tackle the real estate market, buying your first house is a momentous and satisfying achievement.
But there are a lot of responsibilities that come with owning a home and it can seem very daunting at first. The responsibility, the chores, and the multitudinous things you need to keep in check to maintain a healthy and comfortable living space can be stressful.
The good part, however, is that it gets easier as you go along
One aspect of owning a home that often gets overlooked is plumbing. Many people will neglect to give their pipes attention and because of this, they end up paying huge sums of money for repairs and damages.
Well, that’s not going to be you! With these simple tips, you can get a fresh start on understanding your plumbing system and how to ensure it’s working at its maximum potential.
First things first, the main gas/water valve
When you’re inspecting your new home, it’s always wise to locate the main gas/water valve and make sure it works.
This is important because whenever there’s a gas or water leak, you’ll know instantly where the main switch is and to turn it off.
A lot of people will neglect the importance of such knowledge, but a smart homeowner will know their houses plumbing like the back of their hand.
Go out and buy plumbing supplies!
Because it’s your first home, you’re going to want to buy a lot of plumbing supplies. The most basic being a plunger, duct tape, some drain cleaner, and a toolkit to get your started.
There are many other things you can buy for your plumbing as well like plumber’s snakes, drain catchers, and low-flow faucets.
With these basic tools, you’ll be able to tackle any plumbing problem that comes your way. Just be sure that if it’s too much for you to handle, call a professional.
Get in the habit of routine maintenance
Every now and then it’s important to do a checkup on your plumbing. If you don’t do this and leave things unnoticed for long periods of time, you’re going to end up paying a lot of money in damage repairs.
Every now and then, you’re going to want to clean out hair in the bathtub and the food in the sink catchers. You’re also going to want to clean out your garbage disposal to ensure it doesn’t get clogged up.
Don’t let running toilets get the better of you
Everybody runs into this problem and it can be devastating. Devastating in the sense that a running toilet can not only wastewater, it also drains your bank account in bills.
In fact, toilets can use anywhere from 3.5 to 7 galls of water after each flush. So it’s probably not a good idea to let that water run for so long.
Luckily, this is an easy fix. Simply check if the ball or flapper is completely closed. These can be found inside the tank. If it isn’t closed, just seal the hole and voila, your running toilet is fixed.
Malfunctioning shower head!
If your new home comes with a less than stellar performing showerhead, do not worry because there are DIY solutions to that!
Showerheads are often susceptible to being clogged because of small mineral deposits that get into the small holes in your shower head. These clogs tamper with the showerhead performance, making your showerheads less than ideal.
So to fix this, simply grab a bowl of warm vinegar and place your showerhead into the bowl. After about an hour, take the showerhead out and reattach it. The vinegar will dissolve most of the mineral deposits, but if it doesn’t, you can scrub them away with a scrub or a toothbrush.
