{"id":5602,"date":"2020-04-15T05:53:46","date_gmt":"2020-04-15T05:53:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/?p=5602"},"modified":"2020-04-15T05:53:48","modified_gmt":"2020-04-15T05:53:48","slug":"plumbing-tips-to-prevent-clogs-and-reduce-water-waste-while-staying-in-place","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/plumbing-tips-to-prevent-clogs-and-reduce-water-waste-while-staying-in-place\/","title":{"rendered":"Plumbing tips to prevent clogs and reduce water waste while staying in place"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=2775682-1&amp;h=3832361183&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.callfourseasons.com%2F&amp;a=Four+Seasons+Plumbing\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Four Seasons Plumbing<\/strong><\/a><strong>, a family-owned and -operated plumbing company serving the\u00a0Asheville\u00a0and\u00a0Hendersonville\u00a0areas in the US, advises homeowners that heightened use from stay-at-home and shelter-in-place regulations stress residential pipes and drains and increase the risk of breakdowns.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Staying at home as much as possible is a critical safeguard right now, but it presents unique challenges,&#8221; said&nbsp;Max Rose, owner of Four Seasons Plumbing. &#8220;Families are putting additional strain on the physical fixtures and appliances, and with recommendations to wash your hands frequently and keep surfaces clean, many people are using more water than they would under ordinary circumstances. Even maintaining adequate levels of hot water and water pressure can be difficult if you don&#8217;t have a plan.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In order to keep home plumbing operating efficiently and effectively, Rose suggests homeowners adopt the following best practices:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Lower the water heater temperature:<\/strong>&nbsp;Lowering the temperature setting on your hot water heater by 5 to 10 degrees will reduce your utility bill without noticeably reducing the amount of available hot water.<\/li><li><strong>Don&#8217;t flush anything except toilet paper:<\/strong>&nbsp;Most products marketed as &#8220;flushable,&#8221; like cat litter and sanitizing and hygienic wipes, won&#8217;t break down and can clog your pipes.<\/li><li><strong>Monitor the disposal:<\/strong>&nbsp;Make sure large scraps and oil and grease stay out of the kitchen disposal to prevent backups. A combination of vinegar and baking soda can treat odors.<\/li><li><strong>Prevent drain clogs:<\/strong>&nbsp;Use a mesh guard to catch loose hair in the shower and bathroom sink or wear a shower cap. Occasionally clean the drain of any accumulated material. If you develop a clog, try boiling water or baking soda before calling a professional. Never use caustic commercial drain cleaners.<\/li><li><strong>Identify the shut-off valve:<\/strong>&nbsp;During an emergency like a major leak, it&#8217;s essential to know where the main water supply valve is to keep water and property damage to a minimum. Contact a trusted and licensed professional immediately to schedule a service call and restore water for the home.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;People still need plumbing service during this crisis,&#8221; Rose said. &#8220;We recommend homeowners closely monitor their plumbing and call a professional if these home tips don&#8217;t work or they notice anything unusual,&#8221; Rose said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Homeowners should closely monitor their plumbing and call a professional if these home tips don&#8217;t work or they notice anything unusual.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5603,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[1431,1268,1243,1705,1719],"class_list":["post-5602","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinions","tag-home","tag-home-care","tag-home-design","tag-home-tips","tag-plumbing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5602","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5602"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5602\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5604,"href":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5602\/revisions\/5604"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5603"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5602"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5602"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5602"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}