SERVPRO of Southeast El Paso/Butterfield shares tips about preventing water damage at home

7/30/2022 (Permalink)

Blog Summary: Wrong handling of plumbing fixtures in the home can lead to severe water damage, here’s what to teach your children to mitigate water damage.

Like adults, children often handle plumbing fixtures such as toilets, bathtubs, and showers in their everyday life. While these fixtures can be sources of fun, comfort, and sanitation, they can also create a serious water damage issue if improperly handled.

As an adult or parent, taking the time to teach the younger ones how to use plumbing fixtures safely can help prevent water damage.

SERVPRO of Southeast El Paso/Butterfield is happy to share some common plumbing safety principles that adults can inculcate in children to minimize the occurrence of plumbing failure in the house.

If you experience flooding or leaks in your Fort Bliss, El Paso, TX home, contact the water damage restoration professionals of SERVPRO of Southeast El Paso/Butterfield at Fort Bliss, El Paso, TX today, they will come right to your house to assess and fix the problem.

Plumbing Safety Principles To Teach Young Children

Avoid throwing foreign objects in the toilet

Flushing toys and other foreign objects in the toilet is unsanitary and should be discouraged. Introducing foreign objects in the toilet can cause a serious plumbing issue that can create further damage throughout the entire drain system. Parents are supposed to teach their children that only bodily materials and toilet papers for which the fixture was designed should go into the toilet.

Even some adults make the mistake of throwing clog-causing items such as diapers, hair, paper towels, and “flushable” wipes into the toilet. This is a bad practice that could cause a serious problem with your plumbing fixture.

Teach them how to unclog the toilet

Toilets can get clogged anytime. The most important thing is what you do after the incident to unclog it. Parents should teach their children, especially those who are 12 years and older how to use the plunger skill to unclog the toilet the moment they notice the problem. Teach them to plunger before flushing. Flushing before plunging can cause the toilet to overflow.

Adult supervision is strongly advised until the kid is confident handling the task on their own. In a situation where the plunging efforts fail and the toilet begins to back up, the adult should train the child to immediately turn off the water flow to the toilet.

Be mindful of what you put in the garbage disposal

As a rule of thumb, only fruit scraps, small bones, and leftovers can go inside the garbage disposal. Items such as grease, banana peels, rice, and bones should not be disposed of in the fixture. These items can keep the garbage disposal from working effectively, and prevent the smooth passage of food and water. For example, grease, fat, and oil can clog the garbage disposal and drain.

Teach them how to turn off the main water valve

Leaks are a common occurrence in many homes in Fort Bliss, El Paso, TX. When this happens, children should know the right thing to do to avert widespread water damage to the house.

A child who is old enough should know the location of the house’s main water valve. Even if the child is too young and does not have the strength to operate the valve, they can direct a family or neighbor to the water main.

That said, parents and older adults should show the children the exact location of the valve and how to turn it off in the event of plumbing failure.

Speak to Water Damage Restoration Specialists in Fort Bliss, El Paso, TX

When faced with a water damage disaster, the highly qualified and experienced water damage restoration professionals at SERVPRO of Southeast El Paso/Butterfield are the best to handle the job. The team at SERVPRO of Southeast El Paso/Butterfield provides relevant training, the latest technology, and innovative techniques to its contractors, enabling them to deliver quality mold remediation, fire damage restoration, and storm damage restoration services to their customers.

For fast and reliable water damage restoration service, call (915) 234-2679.