Guide for a Healthy New Year

A healthy New Year begins at home, with healthy foundations to build upon. A home’s plumbing system is an important part of this foundation.

Healthy life signpost pointing towards a beach, symbolizing a guide for maintaining effective plumbing systems for a healthier home. Using the following guide, you can check specific ways to maintain an effective plumbing system, why they matter, and preventative measures that you can take to ensure a high functioning flow of water both into and out of your home this New Year.

Flushing Your Water Heater

Flushing your water heater removes excess sediment buildup that accumulates on the bottom of your water heater. This buildup occurs because water heaters have a dip tube that directs new water, along with sediment into the tank from the top and towards the bottom.

Excess sediment needs to be heated up along with the water to create the right temperature, but this unnecessary heating is inefficient. By having a professional plumber flush your water heater, you can rest east knowing your water heater is energy efficient.

Water Filtration

Water filtration refers to the entrance and exit of any water in your house and the portals that the water must take. Clean, effective filtration throughout your home helps us preserve this precious resource while being able to use it efficiently. Try these easy steps to make sure that your home’s water filtration is up to par:

Remove Hair Clogs: You can practice this preventative measure weekly. Open up your shower or bathroom sink drain, and use a pair of tweezers to pull out any hair or other buildup that may be sitting in there. This prevents a future clog from forming.

Clean Your Faucets: If your faucets seem to be running at low pressure, they may be slightly blocked due to mineral build-up in the aerator. To fix this issue, screw off the aerator off the tip of your faucet. Remove the screen, and soak it in hot white vinegar for about ten minutes. Reinstall the aerator, and watch the water pressure revive itself.

Ensure Water Safety: Having safe drinking water enter your home is a necessity to a healthy life. You can test the quality of water by using a home testing kit or bringing a sample into a laboratory for professional testing. Water filtration systems can be professionally installed into your home’s plumbing system to provide you with clean and safe drinking water.

Drain Cleaning

Illustration of a clogged drain pipe showing mineral build-up and debris, highlighting the importance of drain cleaning for effective water removal and plumbing maintenance. Clean drains mean the effective removal of used water from your home. You can tell that your drains may be clogged if you spot the following symptoms of a blockage:

Water backs up the drain when the faucet is turned on.
There is slow (or no) drainage in your sink.
Your kitchen or bathroom sinks are emitting foul odors.
Your toilet is beginning to overflow.

Clogged drains are breeding areas for dangerous bacteria, such as E. coli and salmonella, due to the moist, warm environments and various food particles that are usually part of a clog.

Some preventative measures you can take to fight dirty, clogged-up drains are:

Watch what items enter your sink.
Ensure that little to no food particles go into your drain.
Purchase a drain cover for your kitchen sink to catch large pieces of debris.

Start your New Year off on the right foot by using this guide to help you initiate healthy habits when it comes to your homes water supply. If you have any questions that need to be answered, call (519)-836-6370 to speak with the experts at Lodder Brothers Limited.