Most homeowners in Sydney keep companion pets. As such, it’s crucial to keep your plumbing pet-proof to ensure that your pets are safe. Pets are curious animals and always get into trouble. Pets can also damage most fittings and fixtures, including your plumbing.
There are certain things you can do to keep your pets and plumbing safe. Here’s a guide on how to make your plumbing pet-proof:
- Cover any exposed drains and pipes
Pets like chewing almost everything, including shoes, toys, and exposed pipes. In case your pet is extremely curious, it might want to chew exposed drains or pipes. While doing so will damage your plumbing, it also has the potential to cause harm to your beloved pet. It’s advisable to cover your plumbing lines to avoid damage and leakage. Covering exposed drains and pipes will also keep your pet away from the vet.
In case you have little pets, ensure all floor drains are covered. Your little pets may attempt to enter through the open drains and they can get trapped in there. Animals such as puppies, small kittens, mice, and hamsters can fit in tiny openings. Thus, cover all drain and pipe openings to keep your pets safe. Exposed drains can cause issues not only to animals, but can also cause health issues to humans.
- Keep the drains protected
Pet owners are hardly surprised when mud and hair come off their pets when bathing them. When mud and hair get caught in the drain, they can clog it. Pet hair is actually coarser and thicker than that of a human being. You should prevent the buildup of mud and animal hair in the drains by using effective drain stoppers.
- Watch the garden areas where your dog loves digging
While most water and sewer lines are buried deep beneath the surface, some might be laying too shallow. If the pipe is not laid deep beneath the surface, your dog can easily access it when digging and rip it apart, leading to leaks. Prevent such damage by blocking the area to make it out of reach. If you’re not sure where your pipelines are located, have a local plumber mark them for you.
- Keep the toilet lid closed
Even if your pet’s water bowl is full, they’ll still want to drink some water from a toilet bowl. Cats and dogs are known to do this. Although they won’t damage your toilet by drinking from it, you need to keep it pet-proof. The toilet water may be contaminated with toilet cleaners. Toilet cleaners comprise of strong chemicals. The chemical residue can remain in the water even after several flushes. Ingesting toilet water can lead to health problems. Thus, keep the lid closed at all times to prevent your feline friends from drinking from it or falling in accidentally and get exposed to dangerous chemicals.
- Dispose of pet litter properly
Even if some pet litter might be labeled as okay to flush, it’s not proper to flush any kind of litter down your toilet. Litter can create stubborn clogs in your toilet and drain line. Clearing serious clogs can be quite costly. Thus, the only items you should flush down your toilet is your waste matter and toilet paper.
If you follow these tips, you’ll stand better chances of preventing most plumbing problems caused by pets. However, if your pet has already damaged your plumbing fittings or fixtures, contact your local plumber for assistance. A trustworthy, professional, and reliable plumber can fix all plumbing problems before they become disastrous.