If you have a vacation home that you rent out for part of the year and only spend a little time in here and there, then you may not think about the plumbing very often. Until the toilet starts overflowing or the drains get stopped up, in fact, the plumbing is probably the last thing on your mind! But even a vacation home demands plumbing care. If you make a point to call the plumber and have them do some annual maintenance on the vacation home, you'll have fewer issues in the long run. Here are the tasks you can make sure they tackle.
Clean the drain pipes.
Here's the thing about clogged drains: they don't happen overnight. Generally what happens is the drain pipes slowly accumulate grime until one day that grime layer finally becomes thick enough that it blocks the flow of water. If you have a plumber remove the grime earlier, you won't get clogs at all. When you rent out your vacation home, you don't know if the renters are using clay-based soap that leaves a lot of scum, or if they are putting greasy substances down the drain. Having a plumber out to blast all that grime out of the drain pipes once a year will save you some headaches.
Remove mineral deposits.
Mineral deposits on your shower heads and faucets can make the whole sink area look dingy. Deposits can also lead to a less-enjoyable, low-pressure shower. Renters can be pretty judgmental about things like this, and they may not want to rent from you if the faucets have a lot of deposits and the shower pressure is low. A plumber can use a special cleaning solution to remove these mineral deposits and keep both you and your renters happy.
Check for toilet leaks.
Toilet leaks are really easy to overlook. Renters may not tell you that the toilet is running for a long time after they flush, or that it's running at random times. By the time you visit the home and notice these issues yourself, a lot of water will have been wasted. A plumber can check for leaks once a year and also replace any toilet parts that are beginning to wear out and make leaks more likely in the coming weeks.
Hire a plumber to complete the tasks above once a year, and your vacation home should stay in top shape! Enjoy.
Share9 June 2020
My homes have always had either copper or PVC plumbing pipes. But when my plumbing system needed an overhaul last spring, I wanted a piping system for my home that I could work on myself when needed. There were a lot of good reasons to choose PEX piping, but my favorite thing about the PEX piping is that it's easy to work with, even if you're a beginner like me. Now I can make small repairs myself instead of calling the plumber every time I have a minor leak or other small problem. I still call the plumber for the big stuff, but it's more affordable now that I can take care of small issues myself. I started this blog to help others learn how they, too, can do DIY plumbing repairs at home.