In order to keep up with the chaos of this new back-to-school season, you need your plumbing system in top working order. Things like the garbage disposal and dishwasher could require needing to take pipes apart of something went wrong. A clogged and overflowing toilet will leave a huge puddle of bacteria-laden water all over the bathroom floor. And, a failing water heater could leave you and your family without showers or clean clothes and dishes for several days.
As you and your household are working to navigate the trip back to schedule, make sure to follow these simple tips for keeping your plumbing system working efficiently:
- Never opt to flush things down the toilet in lieu of throwing them in the garbage can. There’s nothing more frustrating than having a used piece of dental floss or q-tip and finding that the garbage can in the bathroom is full. But this is not the time to flush it down the toilet. Instead, break routine and walk it out to the kitchen garbage can. Flushing these items and others down the toilet will lead to a clog and, guaranteed, the overflow will happen and just the wrong time.
- Never opt to shove a bunch of food scraps and remnants down the garbage disposal in lieu of putting them in the garbage can. When you are standing at the sink rinsing dishes and adding them to the dishwasher, have a plastic grocery sack on the countertop next to you to scrape the food into. Then, you can just take the plastic bag to the garbage can when all of the dishes have been loaded. A garbage disposal requires the pipes under your sink to be dismantled, and this will never happen at a convenient time.
- If everyone in the home insists on taking a shower during the evening time, consider adding a timer app to your phone so that you can keep track of how long people are in there. This will eliminate wasted water, and will give your water heater a break so that it does not wear quicker than it should.
The back-to-school season has many challenges, and each of them need to be handled during the acclimation process. Make sure to follow these tips so that your household gets acclimated without developing bad habits that put your plumbing system at risk.