Not all homeowners know where this important control is situated. You must know where the control of the main source of water is located so that when a residential plumbing crisis crops up, you can switch off the main source to prevent more unwelcome water to invade your home. The main shut-off is often situated at the curb, where commonly an access point is provided at the sidewalk.

Except Toilet Paper!

Remind household members to refrain from flushing paper towels, sanitary napkins and other types of paper that are denser than toilet paper as they can obstruct the sewer pipe that can cause the toilet to malfunction.

If you notice that your sink takes extra time to drain, you may need to clear the pipes from sludge build-up. If your home is older and the drain does not positively respond to various chemicals and plunging, then this is your cue to snake the pipes.

This could be caused by the accumulation of calcium, otherwise known as lime-scale which is a by-product of hard water, and by the accumulation of gravel in the faucet head screen.

To address calcium build-up, detach the faucet and clean it with vinegar to dissolve the lime scale. To rid of the collection of gravel, you have to clean the screen. Detach the head by rotating at the point of water flow. Keep in mind how you disassemble it so that you can put it exactly together again as it was before. Especially if this is your first time, take a picture of it using your cellphone camera to help you remember how it looks like when assembled. Once it has been disassembled, clean the inside screen from gravel and calcium so that water can freely flow again. Then reassemble.

You can also do the same process for shower heads that give off limited water, which may be caused by lime-scale buildup. Clean every three to four months.