As with any job or industry, there are a handful of tips and tricks of the trade that plumbers wish our customers knew before making their frantic, emergency, SOS phone calls. We’re always happy to help, but sometimes, a simple home fix makes more sense than a service call. And that knowledge is important, because 10 percent of households waste 90 gallons of water (or more!) per day.

At the end of the day, if you utilize these tips, you can save yourself a headache. Follow our tips to gain a better understanding of your home plumbing so you’re better prepared for the unexpected.

Tip 1: Locate your Water Shut-Off Valve

Have your ever found yourself frantically searching for the water shut-off valve while water poured into your home from a burst pipe? Cue the chaos! This can all be avoided by simply knowing where your valve is located. Typically, this valve is located in the basement or on an outside wall in a utility area of the house. Now, if an emergency occurs, you can stop the damage quickly before calling a professional plumber for repair. It’s also a good idea to shut off your water before performing any maintenance or installation!

Tip 2: Invest in a Drain Screen

Hair is one of the main culprits behind clogged sinks and bathroom drains. We encourage you to do yourself, and your plumber, a favor and invest in a drain screen. This cheap and easy fix will prevent hair from going down the drain and eliminate or drastically reduce the frequency of hair clogs.

Tip 3: Chemical Drain Cleaners Are No Bueno

When you think drain cleaning, you think Drano, Liquid Plumr, and anything of their ilk, right? These popular commercial products, which use harsh chemicals to dissolve the obstructions in your pipes, can actually deal pretty nasty harm to plastic pipes. They can even corrode metal pipes over time! For toilet bowls, Drano can be especially harmful, as chemicals will settle into the porcelain and heat up over time. Your plumber would agree. This can crack the bowl or even cause an explosion. Instead, try organic drain cleaners like BioBEN® (only from Benjamin Franklin Plumbing® of Dallas) or trust your plumber’s top-end drain snake.

Bonus Tip: Mondays Are the Busiest Work Day

Every Monday, plumbers receive desperate phone calls for plumbing problems that materialized over the weekend. It’s not unusual for Mondays to be one of the busiest days of the week, but we want nothing less than the best service for all our customers, as many as that may be. Please keep in mind that, like any industry, plumbers have especially busy days, but we think the wait for professional service is always worth it!

Thanks for checking out the inside scoop on the things plumbers wish you knew. With this knowledge, you’re prepared to react quickly to plumbing emergencies as well as preventing the kind of clogs and wrecked pipework that many homeowners let develop over time.

However, keep in mind that plumbers are the experts and know how to handle the messiest of situations. Don’t hesitate to call the experts at Benjamin Franklin Plumbing if encounter a problem that is too big for you to handle. Contact us for 24/7 emergency plumbing, plumbing repair, and other services. We offer free estimates and are available around the clock, 365 days a year, so you don’t have to take matters into your own hands.