No one wants to come home from a relaxing vacation or wake up in the middle of the night to a flood, sewage backup, or worse. Unfortunately, plumbing emergencies do happen. Here's how you can do your part to prevent them:

Never Hang Anything from Your Pipes

More common in older homes, exposed pipes can be a tempting place to hang wet towels, clothing, or decorative accents. But the extra weight puts stress on the piping joints and, over time, weakens them. A nasty failure can happen when you least expect it!

Be Smart About What You Put Down the Drain

Be "FOG" smart and never pour fats, oil, or grease down the drain because they will cool, harden, and clog the pipes. The sticky mass also attracts other food and household debris that makes it way down the drain, creating an even bigger headache-and backup. Instead, solidify these wastes and then dispose of them in the trash.

Use Your Garbage Disposal Properly

It pays to be kind to your garbage disposal. Certain foods like rice, pasta, celery, asparagus, fruit pits, bones, corn husks, and other fibrous foods belong in the trash. Don't push through large amounts of waste at once; slowly feed it into the disposal along with cold running water. For a deep clean, dump a half-cup of baking soda into the drain followed by a half-cup of vinegar. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes, turn on the cold water, and run the disposal for a minute or two.

Don't Use Drain Cleaners

They can eat through clogs, but over time the chemical these products contain also eat through your pipes. Try using the same technique suggested above for cleaning the disposal but begin by pouring a pot of boiling hot water down the drain. You can also try a home version of the drain snake. If you have frequent blockages, it might be time to talk to a plumber about replacing your pipes.

Don't Use Flushable Wipes

Clogged toilets are among the most common and most unpleasant plumbing problems. Paper towels, feminine products, and facial tissues should never be flushed away. One of the biggest culprits, though, is "flushable" wipes that really aren't flushable at all because they don't biodegrade quickly enough.

Keep up With Plumbing Maintenance

Many plumbing emergencies occur because they didn't give off any warning signs in the first place. Scheduling routine maintenance with a professional plumber can help identify problems long before they become a crisis, help you cut down on plumbing repairs, and extend the effective lifespan of many plumbing system components in your Jacksonville home.

David Gray Plumbing has been serving the plumbing needs of the Jacksonville, FL area for over 25 years. Whether you live in Duval, Clay, or St. John's counties, we have over 40 crews ready to serve you, too. No plumbing job is too large or complex for our teams to handle!

To learn more about all the services we offer, including regularly scheduled plumbing maintenance, give David Gray Plumbing a call at (904) 467-0784 or contact us online today.