- Don't use your toilet or food waste grinder aka disposal as a trash can. It's best to remove a disposal totally from your kitchen sink. Dumping excess food and grease down your sink is the fastest way to meet me.
- Flush only toilet paper, preferably the thinnest kind, down the commode. Keep in mind that there's no such thing as a “flushable" wipe. Feminine products are also a definite no-no.
- Don't be shy when it comes to water usage. I've seen elderly people have more clogs because of lack of showering and laundry usage. Pipes will get sludged up
- Set the temperature of your hot water heater to 120 degrees. Excessive hot water temperature decreases the life span of your fixtures. Use a thermometer under your faucet to check the temperature.
- Don't buy the cheapest plumbing fixtures. You get what you pay for. My favorite brand is Moen. https://www.moen.com/
- Set your whole house water pressure regulator to 60 psi. Excessive water pressure decreases the life span of your fixtures.
- Install a properly sized and charged thermal expansion tank on your hot water heater. https://helmkenplumbing.com/water-heater-repair-installation-pittsburgh/
- Install a water softener if your domestic potable water supply contains a high content of minerals aka hard water. That will keep your faucets clear of excessive scale buildup. If you have a water softener, then it is critical to have dielectric unions on the water connections of your water heater.
- Don't ignore small drips. I've seen small drips eventually eat holes in bathtubs and sinks.
- Descale your hot water heater. The way you do it will depend on what kind you have: tank or tankless.
Be vigilant. Keep your eyes peeled and your ears open because your Pittsburgh plumbing speaks its' own language.
As the old cliche goes, “it's a journey not a destination".