More homes have pets than don’t, and so the chances are good that you’ve got a pet as part of your household and family life. Having any pet comes with responsibilities. You may not have thought of pets as creating a potential problem for your plumbing system (or vice versa), but we recommend taking some time to pet-proof the plumbing in your house. You’ll have healthier pets and healthier plumbing—everybody’s happy!
Rinse off Your Pets Outdoors If They’re Dirty
Pets, but dogs in particular, can get extremely dirty from being outside. Playing in leaves, rolling around in dirt, and splashing into a mud puddle are all ways that can lead to a messy pet. Of course, you’ll want that pet clean before you’ve got mud and dirt all over your carpet and furnishings—but plunking the animal into a bathtub or a large sink (such as a laundry room sink) can create serious problems for the plumbing. All the muck on your pet will go down the drain, and quite a lot of the pet’s hair can go with it. This is a quick recipe for clogged up drains.
We recommend you use a hose outdoor to give your pets a rinse-down before taking them for an indoor bath. Take off the pressure nozzle so you don’t end up hurting your pet, then wash them off to eliminate most of the muck and mud, as well as loose fur. Dry off the animal with a towel, then take them inside for the deeper cleaning.
Put Strainers in the Drains
If you give your pet regular baths, please have strainers put into the drains for the sinks or bathtubs where the bathing happens. Plenty of pet hair can go down these drains and lead to major clogs (hair is just the worst when it comes to bathroom drains), but strainers will catch most of the hair. Make sure you routinely clean out the strainer so it doesn’t block water flow.
Watch out for Exposed Pipes
This is a piece of advice also given to homes with young children. If you don’t have children in your house, you may not have thought about exposed pipes and your pets, but this can be a problem—especially with the plastic piping found under sinks. A pet can chew right through these pipes! There are many ways to protect and hide exposed pipes, such as purchasing wrap material and protective coverings. Ask a plumber about ways to keep pipes out of the reach of pets.
Keep Pets Away From the Toilet
Animals will drink out of toilets if there isn’t water easily available to them. Smaller pets may fall in, so we recommend you have water out for them and keep the toilet lid down.
No matter how well you protect your plumbing and pets, you’ll probably still run into drain clog problems at some point. When you’ve got pet hair blocking a drain, call our experts for Clovis, NM drain cleaning.
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