How A Plumber Can Help With... Home Pest Control?
Your plumber can install plumbing and repair it when it has a problem, but that's not all. The work that plumbers do can have additional effects that benefit your home. For example, by fixing water leaks, cleaning drains, and inspecting water heaters, plumbers play a role in reducing pest intrusion into your home. Pests like water, just like humans do, and by ensuring that your plumbing is working well and is clean, the plumbers make your home less hospitable to unwanted visitors.
Removing Drain Infestations
A very common problem in plumbing is that gunk can build up inside drains and pipes. This gunk includes soap residue, food residue, bio-slime, mold, and a lot of other gross things. However, drain flies, fungus gnats, and other pests really like that gunk and will infest it if given the chance. While there are several home remedies for trying to get rid of the pests (that don't always work), cleaning the drains and drain pipes will. Once the gunk is gone, the pests have nowhere to lay eggs. This is one reason why you really want to have your drains cleaned regularly. Also, run hot water with grease-fighting dish soap down the drains occasionally to reduce the buildup and slow down its progress.
Fixing Water Leaks
Some pests are attracted to your home by water, or they'll enter hoping to find water. Then, if they do find it, they alert their nestmates. Ants do this, for example, by sending out scouts that then alert the nest to a water source. This can be a real problem when the leak is so small and so hidden that you don't realize it's there. If you spot signs of a leak, even if you can't see the leak itself, call a plumber to have it fixed immediately. Not only will you conserve water that way, but the water source (meaning the leak) that could attract pests is no longer an issue.
Replacing Old Water Heaters
As water heaters get older, they can start to leak. But those leaks aren't always the sudden gushers you fear. Usually, they start off as very small and gradually get worse, until you finally see that sudden release of water. Something that can happen when the leak is still tiny but has been going on for a while is that the moisture that is absorbed by walls and any nearby dirt can attract small flies and gnats. If your water heater is only over concrete, such as a garage floor, you'll see the leak quickly. But water heaters that are in utility rooms that open to the outside, such as you find in apartment complexes, can send leaks directly into the soil. By the time you start noticing the bugs, the leak is much worse. But if you have a plumber inspect the water heater once in a while, you can get a warning that there is a leak and that you may also have to treat the infested soil.
Plumbers are essential for keeping the plumbing in good shape. But their work has secondary effects, such as helping with pest control. Even if you don't think anything is wrong with your plumbing, it's a good idea to occasionally have the drains in your home cleaned and the fixtures inspected. For more information, contact a plumber near you.
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