How Healthy is the Plumbing in Your Home?

Oh, the inconveniences of outhouses and drawing water from a well! No one truly appreciates indoor plumbing until the plumbing in your home isn’t working, right?

We have grown so accustomed to the wonderful convenience of fresh, running water inside our homes, haven’t we? I mean, who thinks about the yesterdays of outhouses and drawing water from a well? No one does until the plumbing in your home isn’t working, right?

Thankfully outhouses and hauling water from the well outside became a thing of the past in the 1930s when indoor plumbing and running water was introduced. This welcome convenience improved our quality of life and decreased the spread of disease.

Conveniences and improvements come with the need for their own kind of maintenance, however.

Home maintenance means fixing leaks and drips as they spring up in the plumbing in your home. Knowing a bit about how water works can prevent unnecessary cost and yes, even some health issues.

The 3 Big Risks of Plumbing in Your Home

As homeowners, there are three risks, so to speak, that we must encounter and master on a regular basis:

1. Increased monthly costs due to heat lost by the hot water heater and the pipes which deliver the hot water.
2. Wasted water, money, and serious property damage caused by leaks.
3. Serious health problems caused by leaks and worn-out parts of a septic waste management system.

Check Your Pipes

How you get water into your home depends on where you live. If your home is located in Chicago or a suburb of Chicago, it is connected to a municipal water supply. Your water comes from a city water system managed by a utility company. If you live out in the country, your water comes from a well, and a septic system processes all the water you use.

So what are the pipes in your home made of? Are they made of PVC, copper, galvanized steel, or other metals? Are they made of lead? If your home was built before 1950, it may use lead pipes to deliver your water. If so, you have potential health problems on your hands, and those lead pipes need to be replaced as soon as possible!

Check Your Drains

Drains are another source for potential health issues. Are your drains functioning well? For example, that condensate drain I told you about in“A Hot Time In Chicago! Is Your AC Keeping You Cool?” Does it have mold growing in it? It’s okay to hook a hose up to the condensate drain and run it to the drain in your basement floor. But don’t lay the hose down inside the drain. When you do that, you’re inviting mold from that nasty drain to enter into and climb up that hose right into the air conditioner. Ewww!

Check Your Water Softener and Water Filters

Most homes today are built with water heaters, water softeners, and water filters.

Water softeners change the acidity of your water for better cleaning.

Water filters remove contaminants from your water supply. They improve the smell, taste, and appearance of the water supplied to your family.

But if you suffer fromhigh blood pressureor another medical condition which causes you to limit your sodium intake, you should take an in depth look at your water softener. It’s possible it could be contributing to your high blood pressure. Consider a salt-free water softener versus a salt water softener. Read about them here.

Call the Plumbing Specialists at Blue Frost Heating & Cooling

There are simple plumbing repairs I know you can handle, like insulating your pipes and checking your drains. But when it comes to major repairs, don’t risk the health of your home and family. A little mistake can lead to a big problem, costing you an arm and a leg.For those jobs, call in the plumbing specialists of Blue Frost Heating & Cooling. You can trust us to know what we’re doing with the plumbing in your home.

Blue Frost Heating & Cooling’s plumbing specialists are certified and experienced for all types of plumbing work.Call Blue Frost Heating & Cooling at (630) 444-0860 for maintenance, leaks, drips, or cracked plumbing today.No job is too big or too small.

Blue Frost Heating & Cooling

Professional and Certified

Cooling, Plumbing, Heating

Your leader in home comfort and customer service for 25 years

Conveniently Located Now in Two Locations:

416 E. Wilson Street, Batavia, IL, 60510

504 E. Main Street, St. Charles, IL, 60174

Call (630) 444-0860; for emergencies, call (630) 444-0860