8 Tips to Make Your Plumbing Pet-Proof
How empty would life be without our four-legged family members? Our pets enrich our day-to-day lives in so many ways with their unconditional love. With all the wonderful things our pets do for us, it’s our responsibility to keep them safe, happy, and healthy.
However, even the most devoted pet-owners can overlook some extra measures that should be taken to ensure their pets’ safety at home. Furthermore, many of these measures also keep our plumbing in good working order. To help you ensure the health of your home and your furry friends, the Mattioni team is here to share 8 tips to make your plumbing pet-proof!
Keep Toilet Lids Closed
Although this may not be a natural habit in your household, it’s one worth adopting for the safety of your pets. As a well-known fact among cat and dog-owners alike, pets are often notorious for sneaking sips of water from the toilet bowl. While some owners may regard this behavior as an endearing and funny idiosyncrasy, animals can become seriously ill from ingesting toilet water.
Not only is it unsanitary for obvious reasons but the chemicals from the products you use to clean your toilet can remain in the bowl for weeks. Therefore, if you have a furry friend with a particular proclivity for toilet water, do the responsible thing by keeping toilet lids closed.
Make Water Accessible at All Times
Because in many cases pets drink water from the toilet when their primary source has run dry, you can eliminate this issue by ensuring they always have access to plenty of water. Regularly check to ensure your pets’ water bowls are full, and that they are in an easily accessible area of your home.
Don’t Flush Cat Litter
Although many brands of cat litter claim to be flushable, choosing to flush litter down the pipes can cause a lot of damage to your plumbing. Designed to absorb moisture, cat litter increases to more than 10 times its original volume. Consequently, when you flush cat litter down your pipes, it expands and can cause an artificial block in your plumbing.
Furthermore, the waste contained in the litter can have parasites, such as Toxoplasma Gondii, which can infiltrate the water supply. Therefore, we recommend keeping pet waste in the trash and out of your pipes, for the good of your plumbing and your own health.
Use Drain Stoppers
Another important tip for pet owners who choose to bathe their dog or cat at home is to use drain stoppers. Especially if your pets are prone to shedding, it’s imperative to catch their fur in a drain stopper during baths to keep it from clogging your pipes.
Install Water Balance Valves
While we’re on the subject of bathing and grooming pets at home, ensuring your water temperature stays balanced can make bath time infinitely easier. If you find it jarring to be hit with a barrage of scalding hot or freezing cold water in the middle of a shower, your pet will certainly not tolerate it.
Therefore, to eliminate this issue altogether, you can install pressure balancing valves on your sinks and showers.
Don’t Let Your Dog Dig
As a general rule, you should discourage the habit of digging, but if you have a dog who has a particular passion for digging, you should do what you can to nip it in the bud. Not only can digging ruin your yard but can lead to water and sewer line damage that can endanger your plumbing and your dog.
Keep Cleaning Products in Out-of-Reach Places
Anyone with kids has faced or is currently facing the challenge of toddler-proofing your home. As one of the most important parts in childproofing, you must find safe, out-of-reach places for all cleaning products.
Well, the same rule applies when it comes to pet-proofing your home. To keep curious cats and mischievous mutts from getting into toxic chemicals, keep cleaning products in a place where they cannot reach them.
Cover Exposed Pipes
Last but not least, you should be sure to cover any exposed pipes around your home. Considering the common chewing tendencies pets have, it can already be a battle to keep your favorite shoes, rugs, and furniture safe. However, damaged pipes and a trip to the veterinary ER can be much more expensive than the cost to replace your shoes.
As a way to avoid these dangers altogether, cover exposed pipes, and keep cabinets underneath your sinks closed. If you don’t have cabinets to hide pipes under the sink, there are plenty of creative solutions to explore. In fact, you can even make this a fun DIY project!
Among some of our favorite DIY ideas are adding shelving around the pipes, installing a pedestal around them, or braiding thick ropes around the pipes. If DIY projects aren’t your thing, you can explore options for pipe coverings online!
Let Mattioni Do the Rest!
Now that you have some tips to make your plumbing pet-proof in your arsenal, you’re one step closer toward making your home a safer place. If you are looking for a professional touch in your next plumbing project, the team at Mattioni is ready to lend a hand! To find the best solutions for your home plumbing, call us today at 610-400-8510 or fill out a service request form on our website!
