The last thing you need right now is a plumbing emergency during a pandemic. But when you’re working from home and need to keep kids occupied, there is bound to be something that happens requiring an emergency plumber call out. Here are some tips to avoid a call out fee you didn’t expect to hit your budget.
Only flush the three “Ps”
Toilet paper has been in high demand due to panic buying. This has unfortunately caused grocery store shelves to be empty leaving consumers to search for alternatives.
The only items which should be flushed down the toilet are poo, pee and paper – toilet paper. Any other paper like paper towels, tissues or wet wipes should be disposed of in the bin. If you want to avoid an emergency plumber call out, don’t flush anything but the three “Ps” down the toilet.
Discard oils and fats into the rubbish bin, not down your sink
With so many of us cooking from home and craving comfort foods, there are bound to be fats and oils which need to be disposed of. Please don’t rinse these down the sink drain.
Coming into the cooler months, these fats solidify down your sink waste and further down the line which can cause major blockages. This is certainly avoidable if the oils are disposed of in the correct way.
Illegal installations
It may be tempting to perform a mini renovation while isolating at home. But don’t perform any illegal installations, like plumbing, without a licence.
Plumbing is a licensed trade because it protects the health and safety of everyone. Installations must be done to code to ensure waste flows to where it needs to go, and clean water is piped to outlets for drinking and washing.
The DIY installation of a hose from the toilet cistern tank is illegal. While the intention to convert a toilet into a bidet is seen as a clever solution, it can be dangerous to the health of your family. Such hoses require a backflow device to prevent raw sewage contaminating your water supply.
Not only can the hoses cause health issues, some aren’t watermarked for installation in Australia.
It pays to ask Gladesville Plumbing to provide solutions to a plumbing problem. We can also check if a particular product has watermark approval for installation in Australia. This will prevent any emergency plumbing repairs which may not be covered by your insurance.
