Introduction.

Leaks are a problem in any high rise building, and a little prevention goes a long way. This document was compiled from various sources, and contains some common-sense tips which will help you take proper steps to maintain your unit. Just like you maintain your automobile, so too should you maintain your units.

Preventing Kitchen Drain Clogs.

Drains can usually be cleared easily and inexpensively, but taking some simple precautions will help you avoid stop-ups.
 

• Kitchen sink drains clog most often because of a buildup of grease that traps food particles.
• Most drain blockages occur because residents put materials into the drain, that should never go there. Often liquid materials are put “down the drain”, and then solidify and cause clogging.
• Proper disposal of kitchen waste will keep sink drain clogs to a minimum.
  o Don't pour grease down the kitchen sink.
  o Don't wash coffee grounds down the sink. Throw them out.
  o Use an empty coffee can to pour your cooking grease into. When it becomes full, toss it in the trash.
• Hair and soap are often at fault in bathroom drains.
• Clean floor drain strainers. Some tubs and showers have strainers that are screwed into the drain opening. You can easily remove these strainers and reach down into the drain with a bent wire to clear out accumulated debris. And be sure to scrub the strainer.
• Clean pop-up stoppers in the bathroom sink and the tub regularly. Lift out sink pop-ups once a week and rinse them off.

Drains Preventive Maintenance

Once a month, to prevent residual grease and soap from clogging drains:

• Run hot water through the drain.
• The baking soda that you have in your refrigerator to absorb odors, should be poured down your kitchen drain.
• Add white vinegar, until all the baking soda is flushed down the drain.
• Let stand for 30 minutes; then "flush" by running hot water.
• Another alternative (and for bath drains) is to pour 1 gallon of store brand bleach down each drain once a month. Let stand 30 minutes; then "flush" by running hot water.

Running very hot water through your drains after using will help keep them free of odors somewhat. If you do experience drain odors, each week pour a cupful of baking soda and vinegar down the drain, let stand 30 minutes and then run some hot water. Keeping all grease, hair, and vegetable matter out of the drain also helps with odors and possible clogging.

Sink Drains

A stopped sink drain isn't just an inconvenience; it can sometimes be an emergency. It's always best to prevent clogs before they happen. Be alert to the warning signs of a sluggish drain. It's easier to open a drain that's slowing down than one that's stopped completely.

• Run or pour scalding water down the drain to break up grease buildups.
• If hot water doesn't unclog the drain, there could be some object in the drain.
• To check, remove and thoroughly clean the sink pop-up stopper or strainer.
• Determine if the clog is close to the sink by checking the other drains in your home. If more than one won't clear, something is stuck in the main drain.
• The most effective way to clear a clog is with a snake. Call the HCT office or engineering.
• You can try using a plunger or a chemical drain cleaner.

Clearing Drains with a Plunger

The plunger is a good drain-clearing tool, but it often fails to work because it's incorrectly used. Don't make the typical mistake of pumping up and down two or three times, expecting the water to whoosh down the drain. Though no great expertise is needed to use this simple tool, here are a few tips to guide you:

• Choose a plunger with a suction cup large enough to cover the drain opening completely.
• Fill the clogged fixture with enough water to cover the plunger cup.
• Coat the rim of the plunger cup with petroleum jelly to ensure a tight seal.
• Block off all other outlets (the overflow, second drain in a double sink, adjacent fixtures) with wet rags.
• Insert the plunger into the water at an angle so no air remains trapped under it.
• Use 15 to 20 forceful strokes, holding the plunger upright and pumping vigorously.
• Repeat the plunging two or three times before giving up.

Using Chemical Drain Cleaners

Though routine use of chemical drain cleaners to prevent clogs may eventually damage your pipes, these cleaners can be helpful in opening clogged drains. If water is draining somewhat, but plunging has failed to open the drain completely, you may want to try using a drain cleaner, such as ZEP industrial strength which can be purchased at Home Depot. Whenever you use chemicals, do so with caution and in a well-ventilated room. Be sure to take these precautions:

• Never use a plunger if a chemical cleaner is present in the drain; you risk splashing caustic water on yourself.
• Wear rubber gloves to prevent the chemical from burning your skin.
• Don't use a chemical cleaner if the blockage is total, especially if the fixture is filled with water. It won't clear the blockage and you'll face another problem-how to get rid of the caustic water.
• Never use a chemical cleaner in a garbage disposal.
• Read labels and match cleaners with clogs. Alkalis cut grease; acids dissolve soap and hair.

Safety Tip

• Don't mix chemicals. Mixing an acid and an alkali cleaner can cause an explosion.
• Don't look down the drain after pouring a chemical. The solution often boils up and gives off toxic fumes.

Plumbing Emergency

In a plumbing emergency, you'll need to stop the flow of water quickly. To do this, you and each member of your family needs to know the location of the shutoff valve for every fixture and appliance, as well as the main shutoff valve for the house, and how they operate.

• If the emergency involves a specific fixture or appliance, first look for its shutoff valve and turn it clockwise to shut off the water to that fixture or appliance only.
• he valve is usually located underneath a fixture such as a sink or a toilet, or behind an appliance, such as a clothes washer, at the point where the water supply pipe (or pipes) connects to it.
• If the problem is not with a particular fixture or appliance, or if there's no shutoff valve for the fixture or appliance, use the main shutoff valve to turn off the water supply to your entire unit.
• You'll find the main shutoff valve behind the medicine cabinet in your bathroom. The cabinet can usually be removed with a couple of screws or by lifting off the middle unit.
• Turn the valve clockwise (to the right) to shut it off.

If the metal parts in the cabinet under the sink are corroded, i.e., if the brass/copper fittings and tubing have a heavy green corrosion them, they need to be replaced. They will fail and cause flooding!


Leaking Pipes

Since your Association pays the water bill, you wouldn’t notice that you may have a higher than normal water bill, which might be your first indication of a leaking pipe. You might hear the sound of running water even when all your fixtures are turned off. When you suspect a leak, check the fixtures first to make sure all the faucets are tightly closed.

Locating the Leak.

Try these tips to locate a leak.

• The sound of running water helps. If you hear it, follow it to its source.
• If water is staining the ceiling or dripping down, the leak is probably directly above.
• Water may travel along a joist and then stain or drip at a point some distance from the leak.
• If water stains a wall, it means there's a leak in a section of pipe.
• Any wall stain is likely to be below the actual location of the leak and you'll probably need to remove part of the wall to find it.
• Without the sound of running water and without drips or stains as evidence, leaks are more difficult to find.

If you do find evidence of a leak, and you aren’t sure if it’s coming from your unit or from somewhere else in the building, call the office for the engineer to check.

General Preventive Maintenance

• Know where your water shutoff valve is located and be sure that the entire family knows how to shut off household water supplies in the event of a sudden pipe or hose break.
• Inspect your plumbing (pipes and fittings) annually. Just as you change the batteries in your smoke detector each year, you should take a few minutes to inspect under sinks and around washing machines, lavatories, ice makers and water softeners. This is a simple check that takes minutes, and could prevent thousands of dollars in water damage.
• Inspect around your washer, dishwasher, sinks, lavatories and refrigerator icemaker. If hoses indicate wear, replace them. Consider replacing hoses to major appliances such as your washer and dishwasher every two to five years. Steel, so-called "no burst" hoses have been shown to have a longer lifespan than other models.
• When you go on vacation, turn off the water to your washer while you’re out of town. Many homeowners have returned from vacation to find their washer hoses have burst, flooding their homes.
• Never leave the house with appliances, such as dishwashers, washers or dyers, still operating.

Main Water Shut Off Valve

• Every resident should locate their main water shut off valve and know how to use it. In the bathroom, they are usually located behind the medicine cabinet. Pull you medicine cabinet out and locate the valves. If you can’t pull your cabinet out, contact engineering.
• There are two types of main water valves: the gate valve and the ball valve. The gate valve is recognized by its round handle that must be turned a number of times to open or close the valve. The ball valve is recognized by its single handle that needs to be turned 1/4 turn, or 90 degrees, to turn the water on or off.
• Your plumbing professional can tell you about the condition of the main water valve in your home and replace it if necessary.

Water Supply Lines

• Water supply lines are connected from the angle stop to the appliance they serve, such as a faucet, toilet, washing machine, dishwasher and refrigerator icemaker. Many times these are thin rigid lines that can easily break and cause extensive damage. Water supply lines should be checked regularly for corrosion and rust and changed every 5 to 7 years.
• Among the preferred lines are those that are stainless steel braided over rubber with threaded couplings on both ends for the sink and toilet lines. Don’t forget the dishwasher and refrigerator icemaker supply lines. They are often overlooked because they are hidden. Replace plastic tubing with either soft copper or steel braided supply lines.

Washing Machine

• The washing machine supply is usually found behind the machine, often in hard-to-reach places. In the kitchen, it is under the counter in the back of the machine. The stackable machines in the bathrooms will have the supply behind the machine. In both cases, the shut off valves will be hard to reach. In the kitchen there is a ledge on the counter above the washer, which needs to be lifted up to reach the valves.
• It may behoove you to contact a plumber and have a valve extended to the front of the cabinet where you can reach it in case of emergency.
• The water to the washing machine should always be turned off when the machine is not in use. The instruction manuals for some washing machines call for the water to be on only when the machine is in use. Leaving the water on places the washing machine hoses and valves under constant pressure. The life of the washing machine hose can be prolonged if the water is turned on only when the machine is in use.
• Washing machine hoses need to be checked regularly and replaced periodically. Most failures occur at the coupling. Either type should be used in accordance with the washing machine manufacturer's recommendations. Always change hoses when a new machine is purchased, or you move to a new location. Regardless of the material the hose is made of, it needs to be checked and changed regularly. A broken washing machine supply line can cause extensive damage if it is not discovered quickly and the water turned off.

Summary

These are our buildings, and we all need to work at keeping them in good shape. Leak prevention will help the entire community.


Resources used in this document:
Lowes: Water Drainage Prevention

http://www.lowes.com/lkn?action=howTo&p=Safety/PlumbMaint.html&rn=RightNavFiles/rightNavPlumbing

All About Home: Plumbing Tips
http://www.allabouthome.com/directories/dir_plumbing.html

Handyman USA: Plumbing Tips
http://www.handymanusa.com/articles/plumbingtips.html

Plumbing Diagrams
http://www.geocities.com/saldnm/plumbingdiagrams.htm

Handy Man USA
http://www.handymanusa.com/articles/plumbingtips.html#Leak