The Importance of Regular Plumbing Maintenance

Plumbing needs maintenance like everything else. But while most private and commercial property owners clean their gutters, oil door hinges and repaint walls, for some reason they often forget basic plumbing tasks. Servicing is cheap, neglect tends to be very expensive.

Common Mistakes you can Avoid

Drains that empty slowly present a toxic hazard and often leak into the surrounding ground. In time, this can cause damage inside the building or even undermine the foundations.

Slow or repetitive water leaks inside the structure are the most frequent cause of interior damage. Leaks can come from pipe joints, radiators, baths, sinks or water tanks. The problem with most of these is that they are hidden from view and unless you deliberately have them checked, you may not appreciate the danger until it’s too late. Damaged ceilings, flooring, plastering and equipment or furnishings are expensive to replace.

It’s not unusual for the connection between a toilet and soil pipe to become loose and this can be quite unpleasant. Rotten timber and foul smells are two possible consequences. Over-flowing cisterns are another common problem due to ball-cock issues. Constant water overflow destroys your external render and re-enters the building as damp.

Boilers are very expensive and should be serviced annually both to keep them safe and to extend their lifespan. De-scaling treatments and regular draining to remove sediments pays for itself in long-term savings and improved energy performance.

How often do you check your water pressure? If it’s too high your plumbing fixtures will fail sooner – perhaps catastrophically.

If you’re off the grid and using a septic system, a regular inspection by skilled engineers is even more important. You don’t want it leaching into groundwater and poisoning animals or people. Efficient pumping can improve the natural microbial cleanup.

To prevent all these pitfalls, why not make it a routine to call in plumbing experts such as UK Commercial Group to ensure that a minor issue doesn’t become a major problem.