Bad Bathroom Plumbing Habits
The bathroom is one of the rooms in your home that guests and family members use most often. A single mistake can lead to major problems: a clogged drain, water damage or unsafe conditions. Some problems can be easily solved, while others may require more work. Here are five bad bathroom plumbing habits you need to kick:
Forgetting the Ventilation Fan
A ventilation or exhaust fan in your bathroom helps regulate humidity in your home. As you know, once you’re done with a long, hot bath, your mirrors are often fogged up from the steam. When your bathroom fan is running, it keeps moisture from staying in the room by pushing steam and other gases out. If you forget or choose not to turn on this fan, moisture will build up in your bathroom and may lead to major issues such as mold growth.
Solution: Leave your bathroom fan on while you bathe, and leave it running for at least 20 minutes after you exit the room—this gives the fan ample time to vent out all moisture.
Ignoring Small Leaks
For some homeowners, a dripping faucet is enough to drive them crazy. Calling a plumber for a small leak may seem like more of an inconvenience than it’s worth to some people. But could there be more than meets the eye?
The EPA says, “A leaky faucet that drips at the rate of one drip per second can waste more than 3,000 gallons per year.” To put it into perspective, this much water could be used for over 180 showers in one year!
Solution: You can repair a leaky faucet yourself by following one of many DIY tutorials online, or you can pay a plumber to fix it for you.
Harmful Bath Products
While luxury items like bath bombs and exfoliating scrubs are lovely to use, they can cause major issues for your drains. Popular exfoliating scrubs like coffee ground scrubs may be great for your skin, but these cheaper ground coffee beans can make a gritty mess in your drain. Likewise, bath bombs contain oils and other ingredients that can cause clogs in your pipes.Even bath oils have their drawbacks–they can make your tub slippery and increase the chance of you falling in it.
Ignoring Hard Water Buildup
Hard water buildup appears as a white or cream-colored layer over plumbing fixtures. These deposits can be unsightly, but over time they may grow to create plumbing problems. A buildup of soap and minerals can affect your water pressure, cause skin to feel rough or bumpy, and leave hair brittle.
Solution: Vinegar is an excellent cleaning agent and will prevent deposits from building up on fixtures. You may want to also install a water filtration system in your home, which can help cut back on the minerals and other substances that are present in tap water.
Leaving Hair in the Shower Drain
If you clean your drain regularly, you’ll likely find that it builds up with a lot of hair. Reducing the amount of hair that flows into drains will help reduce the severity, if not eliminate altogether, bathroom clogs.
Solution: Install a drain cover to keep hair from going down the drain.
For any of the issues mentioned here, and all your plumbing needs, call Conyers Plumbing today!
