Habits That Affect the Supply Side of YourPlumbing System

You may have heard that your water use habits, and sometimes even your use of seemingly unrelated systems, can affect your plumbing drains. But did you know that these types of habits can affect the supply side of your plumbing system as well?

Here are a few ways that your habits and how you use your home systems can affect the plumbing system on the supply side.

Following Bad Heating Use Habits

If you regularly turn your home's heating system off while you're at work every day, you may leave your plumbing pipes more susceptible to freezing in the winter. As you can imagine, this can cause all kinds of damage to both the plumbing system and your home.

You may have heard you can simply leave the faucet dripping to avoid burst pipes. However, this trick won't avoid a burst pipe unless you leave the hot water dripping as well as the cold water; hot water pipes are more likely to burst when they freeze. According to experts, the hot water lines account for around 70 percent of burst pipes.

Keeping the Water Pressure too High

High water pressure can affect your supply lines by causing a phenomenon called water hammer. Typically, the first symptom of water hammer is an annoying banging sound. However, water hammer isn't just an annoyance. If it is severe and unchecked, water hammer can damage pipes by rattling them loose and banging them against things.

If your water pressure is high enough to cause water hammer, have your plumber install a pressure regulator. If you like having high water pressure, you can compensate for the lowered overall pressure with a high-pressure showerhead and kitchen sprayer so you can still get that good cleaning power.

Overly high water pressure can also be detrimental to parts of your plumbing supply system such as your water heater.

Overusing the Hot Water Heater

Whether you bought a too-small water heater, added to your house without increasing the water heater size, or simply have very high hot-water needs, your water heater may be affected. For example, your hot water tank could wear out faster due to overuse if you frequently overtax its abilities.

The more often the tank empties of hot water and refills with cold water, the more often it has to work to heat up water, and the more often it has to expand and contract due to temperature changes. So check your hot water use habits against your tank size, and consider getting a larger heater (or a supplemental one) if necessary.

Avoiding Water Treatment

If your home has hard water, the minerals in the water can start to build up in supply lines over time. If you have a habit of neglecting to treat hard water, or even if you simply don't know that your water is hard, your water lines could start to suffer. The buildup can cause narrowing of the lines, which can lead to lowered water pressure.

A whole-house water softener can protect the lines from these issues. If you choose to only treat your drinking water where it comes out of the faucet, your supply lines will still lack protection and may eventually become constricted due to excessive buildup.

Not Following Good Maintenance Habits

Finally, don't forget that your maintenance habits can have an impact on every part of your plumbing system, including the supply lines. For the best results, find a reliable service provider, and then schedule regular maintenance service for your water heater, appliances, and plumbing system.

If you're still in the market for a plumbing contractor, give Henry's Service All a call for honest, expert care of all the elements of your plumbing system.