The detection of a leaking pipe or defective plumbing system often causes some bit of panic. Usually, remediation services and repairs of faulty plumbing fixtures are not cost-effective. Instead, people should use preventive maintenance tips to avoid plumbing damages. As an important part of a home’s infrastructure, plumbing installation damages can be minimised or avoided. However, homeowners should inspect their plumbing systems, and not dispose of debris through kitchen sink drains which most definitely lead to a blocked kitchen sink. These helpful strategies can minimise plumbing damages.
Ensure Routine Inspections
A few routine checks on plumbing systems in households or commercial properties can minimise any damage. Apart from leaking pipes, old hoses of air conditioner window units can affect the flow of water. Some structural defects on exterior parts of buildings occur because of water retention. When flexible hoses from these window units cause water to accumulate on walls, it can cause moulds and painful cracks. To avoid this structural damage, ensure a tight connection of the hose with epoxy and pipe clamps. Alternatively, you can replace an old AC hose and connect a new hose to the drain.
Install Central Shut-Off Valves
Generally, any form of plumbing damage at home, in the office or even in larger venues such as the corporate event venues in Melbourne is a stressful experience. When you are ready to exit any building, it’s important to turn off the main pipe that supplies water. Ask your plumber to install a central shut-off (ball) valve if there’s none in your building. Sometimes, children forget to turn off the bathroom or kitchen sink taps after using them. When this mistake occurs, it can cause dampness on drywalls, moulds on carpets, and other damages. However, the practice of using shut-off valves can prevent flooding of your home. Alternatively, when shut-off valves are active, they also help to reduce your utility bills.
Avoid High Water Pressure
You can increase the pressure of water without causing any plumbing damage. The impact of high water pressure can damage PVC pipes, shower heads, and internal mechanisms of plumbing fixtures. Usually, manufacturers rate their appliances according to built-in water pressure levels. So, to avoid any devastating structural damage on equipment like water heaters and washing machines, water flows should be at speeds that conform to specifications.
Reduce Concentrations of Hard Ions
Chemicals like calcium, lead, iron, and magnesium are minerals that cause hard water. They cause lime scales in bathrooms, causes a blocked drain and perforations on shower heads. The overall damage that hard ions have on plumbing fixtures is often devastating. To minimise the concentrations of these minerals, homeowners and facility managers should install filtration systems like water softening devices. However, the filtration capacity of machines that remove hard ions from water depends on the level of hard ion concentration.
Some water softening devices use sodium salts to fight against hard ions, and it might be a drawback. Ensure to plastic plumbing pipes for soft water that contains sodium salts because of their resistance to corrosion from salts. Also, it might not be hygienic to consume drinking water that passed through filtration salt (salts) machines.
Get an Insurance Cover
Can you imagine what level of water damage will occur when the tap is left open during a week-long vacation? A simple water leakage or plumbing damage can lead to losses to your property. When stagnant water covers your kitchen floor, it could cause damp walls, or contaminate the air quality of the interior space. Apart from replacing the broken plumbing fixtures, an insurance cover might minimise the impact of
When unpleasant incidents like property damages occur from defective plumbing systems, these professionals can assist in getting your life back.
What is covered under insurance and what is not?
Sometimes plumbing leaks are covered and sometimes they aren’t. What exactly does that mean? We have talked to various insurance agencies as well as engineering consultation firms that specialise in drainage, and have found the following:
- Maintenance
It seems that the general motif across the policies when it comes to leakage is that when it could be avoided by carrying out routine or reasonable maintenance, it likely won’t be covered. - Repairs
Finding the leaky parts and fixing the consequent damages brought on by the water leak was covered in some policies, however, the price of repairing the burst or leaking pipe wasn’t covered. Some policies will also set a limit as to how far they will pay towards locating an unknown leak. - Gradual escapes or seepage
Generally, gradual leaks and seepage are not covered, particularly from a leaking or faulty shower recess or base. This issue extends to all wet areas that have not been reasonably maintained, including the maintenance of seals or watertight membrane.
Depending upon the policy and the insurer, some policies will pay for gradual leaks if it could be shown that the homeowner could not reasonably understand the flow was there – this applies to leaks occurring in regions such as inside a wall cavity or beneath a house. - Waterproof membrane
Water leaks are situated in kitchens and walls which have a waterproof membrane which hasn’t been satisfactorily maintained are probably not constructed properly by the construction contractors. Routine inspections of this waterproofed area really are a necessity, with repairs carried out where needed and all moist spots have to be investigated promptly. - Structural damage
If there is structural damage to a house which has been due for fixing from issues such as blocked drains or gutters, this is not usually covered. - Tree roots
If there is plumbing leak damage brought on by tree roots, this is generally not covered by most insurance policies. - Roof damage
Regular checks of your roof to matters like loose tiles, leaky gutters and blocked gutters or downpipes, especially after a hail storm, are essential to ensure your house is covered for any water damage from the roof. Insurance providers won’t protect homeowners if the harm could have been prevented with maintenance
