Are you into do-it-yourself plumbing? If you haven’t tinkered with your plumbing fixtures, appliances, and pipes but have plans of doing so, it will be advantageous to know how your plumbing system works. Surely, diagnoses and repair will lead to excellent results if you have knowledge of the system. With this being said, let us give you a brief introduction.
1. Your plumbing system is made up of two separate subsystems: the fresh water line and the sewage line. The former is responsible for supplying your home with potable drinking water and the latter is responsible for taking out wastewater from your property to your septic tank or sewers.
2. Water flows through your pipes because of pressure which is why you still get a good flow out of your taps, toilets, and appliances regardless if they are situated in the 2nd floor or down in the basement.
3. A meter registers the amount of water that gets into your home which is how your utility bill is calculated. With this is mind, it is important that you shut off your main water supply valve during plumbing emergencies so your bill won’t skyrocket and you won’t incur damages on your property.
4. Your drainage system doesn’t get rid of your wastewater with the help of pressure. Instead, it works through gravity. You’ll observe that drainage pipes are all angled or pitched downwards. This is to allow gravity to pull the waste down and direct it towards your own septic tank or to the sewage treatment facility in your area.
5. Vents allow air to go through your drain pipes and thus aid the smooth and proper wastewater flow.
6. Traps, whether shaped like a letter P or S, are important parts of your plumbing system. They trap adequate amounts of water in your drain pipes to thwart sewer gas from backing up into your home.
7. Clean-outs provide access to your wastewater system in case a drain cleaning equipment is needed to get rid of clogs.
8. Fixtures are recommended to have individual shut off valves so that in the case of an emergency, there won’t be any need to turn off the main valve.
9. Your hot water heater features a hot water line which leads to all the fixtures, outlets and appliances in your home that require hot water. It has a thermostat that’s responsible for maintaining the system’s temperature. Don’t forget that 120 degrees Fahrenheit is the recommended temperature level for a hot water heater.
We hope that you learned a lot from our version of plumbing for dummies! Should you need professional plumbing help, don’t hesitate to call the most trusted Miami plumber! That’s us, Douglas Orr Plumbing! We provide immediate, excellent and affordable plumbing services such as kitchen remodeling , sewer cleaning, plumbing repairs and many more! Reach us at (305) 240-6731!
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