There is relatively very little that can go wrong with your bathroom fixtures, but when things do go wrong, they can go very wrong. A major leak or a pipe bursting can do thousands of dollars in damage to walls, ceilings and floors.
Thankfully, the maintenance on your toilet and bathroom is relatively easy and preventative in nature. Most of it comes down to simply being observant and preventing people from putting the wrong things down your toilet.
Performing a Periodic Inspection is Your Best Defence Against Leaks
Your sink is mostly prone to damage from people using the cabinet below the sink for storage. Tossing heavy items into the cabinet without paying attention can bend and damage your sink’s water pipes and drainage pipe.
Inspect the area below the sink periodically. If you smell mildew when you open the cabinet door, you probably have a small leak. Your sink water pipes should have a shut-off valve right in the cabinet, meaning you can shut off the water without affecting the water supply to the rest of the house.
Then you should call a plumber to fix the leak before it causes water damage to your floor, vanity and countertop.
Your toilet also simply requires you to be observant. If you notice that the grout work around the base of the toilet which seals it to the flooring is cracked or missing, someone might have inadvertently moved the toilet.
Moving the toilet can cause leaks because the movement can tweak the pipes and crack the connecting joints and seals. Moving the toilet back into position is not advisable because any further movement at all can just make the damage even worse.
If you feel that the movement might have been enough to damage either the water pipes or the sewage drain seal, it is time to call the plumber to set things right.
Be Extra Vigilant Around your Bathroom if You Have Small Children
A clogged toilet is the other most likely mishap that occurs in bathroom plumbing fixtures. A seriously clogged toilet can ruin floors, walls and ceilings. And it usually occurs most often in households with young children.
A toilet can be a plaything to a young child. Because of this we would recommend that you not keep the child’s small bathtub toys in the bathroom. They may see the toilet as just a tiny bathtub and drop small toys down into the toilet and lodge them in the drain pipe.
Prevention Will Help You Win the War Against Leaks and Clogs
If you successfully keep flushable children’s toys out of the bathroom, inform adults what they can and cannot flush and perform periodic plumbing inspections, you will probably win the war against leaks and clogs.
But it’s all about being proactive. You have to take heed of any mildew odours, water stains or cracked or discoloured grout to stay ahead of the game.