One of the most crucial plumbing aspects of home maintenance is drain upkeep. When drains and water pipes back up, it’s impossible to cook, clean or do much of anything. Therefore, it’s important to care for your water pipes and know when to call for home drain maintenance.

Over the course of several years, the average homeowner or apartment tenant is bound to need some form of drainpipe maintenance. Of course, the frequency of such occurrences can be minimized with some basic, timely drain upkeep. However, home drain cleaning can only be done effectively if you know the kind of pipes that connect to your sinks.

The following are different types of pipes that appear in homes and a brief description of each pipe.

• Cast iron – can be found in homes built prior to the 1970’s. They are commonly featured in vertical drains but are sometimes found in horizontal drains and vent stacks. Even though the material is strong, it is prone to rust. If rusting occurs, contact a drainpipe maintenance to have the corroded pipes replaced with plastic piping.

• Galvanized steel – common in homes dating from the 1950s. It is relatively strong but rarely lasts more than five decades. Once corrosion takes place, piping will need to be replaced.

• Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) – started to be installed in homes around 1975 which is a plastic piping emerged as a low-cost, easy to repair alternative to metal materials. ABS was the first plastic form of piping to be used in residential homes. It has a rust-proof surface, but the material has not proven itself to be as durable as metal over the long haul.

• Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) – over the past four decades has been the leading choice in residential homes. It is a light-colored, highly durable plastic that resists the elements and appears to outlast all other piping materials.

If and when a clog in a home drainpipe does occur, the best remedy is to call a plumber and have the pipeline professionally snaked. That way, the drainpipe will be spared of harmful chemicals that could reduce its lifespan and ultimately lead to a more catastrophic plumbing issue down the line. From that point onward, care should be taken to ensure clogs don’t reoccur in the future. After all, once you’ve experienced the discomfort and setbacks of even a brief plumbing backup, it can inspire a newfound appreciation of water’s importance in everyday functions.

A few helpful tips to prevent a clogged drain and keep your drainpipes in good shape are:

1. Don’t let food particles or hairs slip down drains

2. Dispense with unconsumed food in the trash

3. Don’t use the toilet as a garbage disposal

4. Don’t use the garbage disposal as a trash compactor

5. Keep water pressure at appropriate levels

6. Beware of high mineral content in water

7. Soften hard water

8. Don’t allow water to freeze in pipes

9. Call a plumber to snake sewage line or pump septic tanks

If you find yourself in the same boat — where water fails to drain and sinks and tubs get clogged — rest assured that a call to GP Plumbing, LLC will have the problem rectified within hours. Regardless of where a problem might be located along a piping system, there is no clog too thick or rupture too wide for us to fix.

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