Every homeowner like you needs to be well-aware of your plumbing system. This will help you act on plumbing emergencies fast and also let you understand whatever solutions are needed to fix the problem. This way, you won’t worsen the issue in case you perform do-it-yourself repairs and won’t be left in the blur in case you hire the services of a professional. So to help you get to know your plumbing a little bit more, read on and learn from this mini-guide.
The Water Supply System
Do you know that your plumbing system is made up of two subsystems? These are the potable water line and the waster water or drainage line. Your water line is responsible for supplying your home with clean drinking water that comes from your water provider. It comes into your home, passing your water meter which then records the amount you use. So it goes without saying that every time you turn on a faucet or flush a toilet, your water meter records your consumption. From the water meter, it will go through the pipes through the help of pressure, until it reaches the fixture that you turned on.
Now, most homes have hot water heater systems that are equipped with two pipes: one for the hot water and one for the cold water. The cold water enters the water heater; the machine will heat it up and store it in the tank (or not if you have a tankless unit); then it will go through the hot water pipe and out of your faucet or shower. It’s pretty much the same process except that it has to go through the hot water heater system first to get warm.
The Drainage System
Every time you wash your hands; take a bath; flush the toilet or brush your teeth, you create wastewater. And this wastewater is disposed out of your home through your drainage system. Every kitchen, bathroom or area in your home where you have plumbing fixtures installed have drains where soiled water goes into. From the drain, the wastewater passes through the pipes and into your septic tank or the sewer. The septic tank is the big container buried in your yard that’s usually made from fiberglass, concrete or plastic. It is where wastewater is treated and decomposed. If you don’t have your own septic tank, then your home is probably connected to a main sewage system in your area.
Now, these plumbing basics may be a bit too few to explain how the entire plumbing system works. There are still more to discuss and we’ll leave that for our future posts. So if you have plumbing problems at home, don’t waste time and just call professional plumbers in Miami and Dade County FL! Call us at (305) 240-6731!
Planning on doing plumbing projects on your own? Watch this video and complete your toolbox!