Some Plumbing Basics for Back to School

It’s that time of year again when students of all ages are preparing to go back to school. It’s a busy and exciting time as families do all necessary preparations, and students get ready for a new year ahead. Whether you’re going back to school this fall, helping get students ready to go back or just taking advantage of some of the sales and promotions, it’s hard to not feel some of the energy of the season.

Today, we’re going to help everyone take part in some schooling this August by discussing a few plumbing basics and giving you an overview of how your plumbing system works.

Your Home’s Pipe System

The pipe system in your home is designed to bring water in and out of your home. There are actually two-pipe systems in your home - one for clean water entering and one for dirty water leaving.

Clean water is brought into your home under pressure so that there’s enough force to carry it upstairs, through bends and around walls. Dirty water leaving your home relies primarily on gravity to carry it down and out of your home.

The pipes in your home are made from a variety of substances. If you have a home built before 1930, it likely has some lead pipes, and if your home was built between the 1930s and 1980s, it likely has some galvanized steel pipes. Newer homes primarily use PVC, copper or PEX piping.

The Complexity of Kitchen Plumbing

For most homes, the kitchen has the most complex plumbing systems. While it uses the same systems as the rest of the house, there are more appliances in this area of the home, making it slightly more complicated to install and maintain.

Your kitchen’s refrigerator, sink, dishwasher, ice maker and garbage disposal all are part of your plumbing system. This means additional lines and hookups, especially for the kitchen sink.

The kitchen sink has the same basic components as other sinks in your house - a faucet and drain - yet it can also have hookups for a garbage disposal, dishwasher and any other added features your home might have. As a result, for many, the kitchen is the source of questions or issues when it comes to plumbing maintenance or installation.

The Importance of Drainage

As important as having access to clean water is, having an effective way to remove dirty water from your home is equally important. As a result, your home’s drain system plays an integral role in your everyday plumbing.

Your drainage pipes rely first on gravity to carry dirty water out of your home, but vents in your roof are also important to help carry dirty water down, out of your home and into a sewer system.

Additionally, your sinks have traps - the s-shaped part of the pipe under the drain - to help avoid clogs, to catch debris and to keep sewer gases from entering your home. For your system to work plumbing and avoid drain cleaning services, it’s important that all components are working properly.

While it seems complicated, your home’s plumbing is really centered upon some pretty simple components working together. Hopefully, this overview was helpful. If you have any questions about your home’s plumbing, call Apply Valley Plumbing Company today at (612) 387-1207.