Helpful Plumbing Tips for New Homeowners

As a first time homeowner, you have a ton of new responsibilities, and learning to properly care for your recently purchased house is just one of them. Luckily, when it comes to your home's plumbing, following a few simple tips can help you protect your house from costly repairs.

1. Make it your mission to find the water's main shut off valve immediately after moving in. If a major plumbing emergency does occur, knowing where the valve is located can save your home from serious water damage.
2. Avoid using a liquid drain cleaner. While pouring a bottle of drain cleaner into a clogged sink or bathtub seems like an easy solution, in reality, the cleaner can damage the pipes in your home. The main chemical in a store-bought drain cleaner is hydrochloric acid, which will eat away at your pipes as it sits in them. Instead, buy a snake from your local home improvement store, and if that doesn't get rid of the clog, calling a plumber is the next best option.
3. If you live in an area where winter temperatures fall below freezing, winterizing your pipes is a must. Adding insulation tubes to pipes in unheated areas protects them from freezing temperatures. Unfortunately, leaving your pipes uncovered can lead to the water in them freezing and the pipes cracking. Also, during extremely cold nights, allow all faucets on exterior walls to drip slightly. This alleviates any pressure caused by an ice blockage and can potentially stop a pipe from bursting.
4. Find a trustworthy plumber before an emergency hits. Having to frantically search for a plumber as your basement floods is not ideal and can lead to you hiring an unreliable plumbing company. Instead, do a little research before you're caught in a desperate situation. That way, you can choose a plumber you feel confident about.

If you're a new homeowner and you're looking for a dependable plumber to help maintain your home's drains and pipes, please contact The Polite Plumber in Ledgewood NJ today. We're happy to help you.

5 Home Plumbing Tips for the New Year

It's time to put the past behind us and look forward to new and better things. So, if your home's plumbing and has seen better days, use the new year as a sign to get it back to its former glory.

To help you turn your plumbing nightmares into a dream, here are five tips to help you along this winter.

1. Reduce pressure to prevent leaks. If your water pressure is too high, consider reducing it to ease the burden on old and weak pipes. If your pipes are bad enough that they need to be replaced, consider how a professional can help you better the situation.
2. Get a water softener and add years to pipes. Hard tap water clogs and corrodes pipes, but this is preventable with a water softener. Unsure where to begin with a softener? Research online first, then call a plumber to assist you in the entire process.
3. Drain your water heater. Water heaters have a fairly long working life, but they can expire too soon if not properly cared for. For expert help in draining your water heater, a plumber can make the job easy and painless.
4. Have your sump pump and sump pit looked at. When the rainy season comes, the last thing that you want to worry about is a flooded basement. If this has been a concern in the past, perhaps it's time for a second sump pump or a clean sump pit. A plumber can help you decide how to proceed with this process.
5. Stop leaks as soon as you spot them. A drip here, a drop there, it's never a good thing. Always (always) stop leaks as soon as you see them. Water, when left to its own devices, will ruin anything not meant to contact it. For particularly hefty leaks, talk to a plumber for help.

If you have questions related to your plumbing in Succasunna, NJ just call The Polite Plumber at (973) 398-0875. We’ll never ask how it happened!