The beginning of a new school year means a change in your day-to-day schedules. A busy morning schedule puts stress on the plumbing system, challenging it. The burden comes because of increased loads of laundry, more showers in a short time, and further use of the garbage disposal. Here are some tips to prevent back-to-school plumbing issues.
Do No Harm. Make sure your water heater is set no higher than 120 degrees F — vital if you have school-age children learning to take baths themselves. If you lower the temperature, you’ll prevent everyone in your home from being scalded in the tub and the sink.
Optimize the Washing Machine. Remember to run your laundry when each load of laundry is FULL. It is critical to make sure each load of laundry is full because up to 90 percent of the cost of washing clothes comes from heating the water. Hot water should only be used for filthy clothes, always using cold water in the rinse cycle.
Check/Replace Machine Hoses. Consider replacing your laundry machine hoses, particularly if they’re rubber, every three years. Machine hoses work like drains, building up debris, becoming clogged in the hose. Clogged hoses can cause a flood.
Arrange Shower Times. Hectic mornings often mean back-to-back showers, placing a lot of pressure on your home’s water heater. Because you do not want to run out of hot water, schedule and stagger the shower times. Assign individual family members to use the shower at night and others to use it in the morning.
Garbage Disposal. With the increase in breakfast, lunches, and dinners being made, your garbage disposal system will feel it. Avoid putting certain foods down the disposal: fatty foods, fibrous vegetables, eggshells, and potatoes. These foods have membranes or fibers which wrap around the disposal blades, clogging the system.
A new school year can be hectic for the entire family, but if there is one thing you don’t have to stress about it is getting the job done right with Gene Wagner Plumbing, recently ranked as one of the top two plumbers in Southeastern Wisconsin by Milwaukee’s A-List. Contact us or call us at 414-541-9217.
