5 Ways To Keep Your Plumbing Flowing Smoothly As A Pet-Owner

Having a furry friend in your home as an additional member of the family is a joy most of us know very well. While the positive aspects of having these loving animals in our life are seemingly endless, there are certain things to consider when it comes to how they may affect your plumbing system and what effects your plumbing could have on them.

Here are some things you can do to make sure both your pets and your plumbing system stay safe:

1. Keep A Close Eye On Pets Who Like To Dig In The Yard
   
   If your furry friend spends a lot of their free time digging holes in the yard, it’s vital that you make sure they don’t dig too deep! Sewage lines are buried just far enough below the surface to keep them safe from environmental factors but also close enough for easy access by plumbers. If your pet digs enough to reach those pipes some serious damage could occur and your pet could stand to get hurt, both things you don’t want to happen.



2. Don’t Flush Any Pet Products Down The Drain
   
   Like many other products we purchase, some pet products like cat litter say that it’s flushable when in actuality this is something to avoid at all costs! As we’ve mentioned before, the only things that should be flushed down the toilet are human waste and toilet paper. Make sure pet products are properly disposed of in the trash!



3. Keep Your Toilet Lids Closed
   
   This tip is more for the safety of your pets than anything else. Because we clean and treat our toilets with chemicals most of the time, it can be very dangerous for our furry friends to quench their thirst from the toilet bowl, no matter how tempting it may be for them! These chemicals shouldn’t be ingested by anyone, including our pets.



4. Utilize Drain Catchers And Strainers When You Can
   
   When it comes time for our pets to take a bath, it’s a good idea to use a drain stopper or strainer to catch any loose hair, dirt or other debris our pets can collect between bathtimes. This is a preventive measure to make sure you sidestep clogged drains before they have the chance to accumulate!



5. Protect Your Pets From Any Accessible Drains And Valves
   
   Just like we childproof our homes, we need to take the same steps to protect our pets! Making sure all drains and valves are properly covered and protected from being accessible to our animals can prevent plumbing incidents in addition to keeping your pets out of harm’s way.

Taking these five steps can do a lot to keep both your plumbing and furry friends safe and sound for the foreseeable future, which is something we all want! Most of these steps are easy to implement and can make a huge impact down the line.

If you have more questions about your home’s plumbing and how it may concern your pets, J. Blanton is just a call away at (773) 724-9272! Reach out today!