A relaxing shower is a great way to begin and end the day. But if you’re not careful, it can lead to significant inconveniences. There are bad shower habits that can ruin your plumbing. Confused?
How you shower can significantly impact your home’s plumbing system. It may lead to stubborn clogs in your shower drainage system, corroded showerheads and faucets, and damaged pipes.
So, to avoid dealing with slow-draining water and foul bathroom odour early in the morning, it’s important to consider a few things while showering. Rest assured, changing a few of your shower habits will help enhance the longevity of your plumbing system.
Read on to know more!
Shower Habits That Will Damage Your Plumbing Over Time
1. Taking Very Long, Hot Showers
There’s nothing like a long, hot shower to de-stress yourself after a hectic day at work. But you might want to shorten its duration because, believe it or not, this habit will be detrimental to your plumbing.
Leaving aside water wastage, long, hot showers produce a lot of steam (especially in bathrooms with poor ventilation). The trapped humidity provides the perfect environment for mould to thrive in, and over time you’ll notice visible build-ups on your showerheads, taps and other fixtures. Additionally, mould growing inside drainage systems can cause serious health risks and foul odour.
So, it’s better to take shorter showers. And avoid keeping the water temperature too high if a long shower of over ten minutes is required. You should also install vents or open a window to prevent steam build-up.
2. Leaving Loose Strands Of Hair To Accumate Near The Drain
It’s common for those with long hair to lose a few strands during a relaxing shower. None of us thinks much about this, but allowing soap scum and those clumps of hair to pile up in your drain can lead to severe blockages.
Consequently, you’ll have to deal with water backups and slow drainage or even causing your bathtub to clog up, which is inconvenient, especially if it’s right before leaving for work.
You can avoid the problem by installing drain covers that prevent hair from going down the drain. All you have to do is remove the cover, dispose of the hair, and then reinsert it before your next shower.
3. Using Too Much Shampoo Or Soap
Now, we aren’t saying you should avoid using shampoo or soaps while taking a shower. But using too much of them will leave a lot of soap scum that will block your bathroom pipelines. It will also lead to visible scum build-up on your plumbing fixtures over time, requiring replacements for which you’ll need to contact a professional plumber.
4. Overusing Chemical Drain Cleaners
You might think it’s a good idea to use a chemical drain cleaner to clear a blockage or prevent one from occurring. Well, we hate to break it to you, but the chemicals in drain cleaners are toxic to the environment and can also degrade your plumbing system.
Using these products once or twice is fine, but if you do so frequently, they will eventually corrode the pipelines. You should opt for non-toxic cleaners or natural remedies like baking soda and vinegar. And use a lot of water to flush out any residue.
5. Leaving A Pool Of Water On The Floor
We’ve all done this, especially when running late for work. You might not think it to be a big deal, but standing water can damage the grout and flooring of your bathroom. And, of course, it creates the perfect environment for mould to thrive in, which is again detrimental to your plumbing system and health and causes smelly floor drains!
Change Your Shower Habits And Save Your Plumbing
If you want to do without calling a plumber to repair or replace your plumbing, do consider changing your shower habits. And address the warning signs (such as dripping shower heads and weird noises from within the walls) to prevent even more significant problems in the future. Also, discover the other common mistakes that can ruin your plumbing.
Regularly inspect your plumbing fixtures to check for leaks and hard water build-up. And always keep your bathroom ventilated and dry after a shower to prevent mould growth and mildew.
If you need the assistance of a licensed plumber in Sydney, do call us at Fixed Fast Plumbing. Be it a blocked shower drain, a corroded pipeline, or a damaged plumbing fixture, our expert plumbers are well-equipped to deal with any situation.
We are available 24/7 - so you can contact us anytime in a plumbing emergency!
