The plumber is somebody you typically only call when there's an emergency, such as a clog in your pipes or a leak in the house.
But although plumbers aren't always at the forefront of your mind when you grab a drink of water, run a load of laundry, or otherwise use the water in your house, they're nonetheless responsible for every drop of clean water that makes it into your faucets and pipes.
Clean water isn't something people should take for granted, and it’s important to remember who helps bring that water into our homes.
The Link Between Plumbers and Your Safe Water
You rely on the water coming out of your taps for many things, including cooking, drinking, washing dishes, bathing, doing laundry, and more. But whether your water comes from a municipal source, a well, stream, spring, or somewhere else, it’s necessary that the water gets from where it is to where you are without becoming contaminated or lost.
Plumbers are the superheroes who make that happen because they ensure the pipes that transport water to and from your home are clean, safe, leak-free, and running properly. What could happen if you didn’t have expert plumbers around? Here are a few of the problems that could arise:
1. Contaminants from the ground could find their way into the water.
2. Water could leak out through holes and corroded areas and never reach your home.
3. Heavy metals like lead could contaminate your water.
4. Your water could become contaminated with pesticides and herbicides.
5. Bugs, bacteria, and other pathogens could find their way into your water.
What Happens When You Don’t Have Clean Water?
The consequences of consuming contaminated water can be devastating and even fatal. The type of health issues that arise will depend on the type of contamination.
For instance, the symptoms of heavy metal poisoning (from metals like lead, arsenic, mercury, and cadmium) can range from nausea and vomiting to headaches and pains to seizures, cancer, respiratory problems, organ damage, and more.
Viruses and bacteria (including E. coli, Norovirus, and Legionella) can also be fatal, but they can also cause cramps, diarrhea, vomiting, gastrointestinal illness, neurological disorders, respiratory disease, and more.
Water Conservation Tips to Help the Pros
Clean water is a valuable resource and is something that needs to be protected. There are plenty of things you and your family can do in your daily lives to help conserve water. Some of the easiest and most effective tips you can implement in your home in The Woodlands, TX include:
1. Don’t leave the water running when you're washing dishes, brushing your teeth, or washing the car.
2. Install low-flow appliances and fixtures, and reduce the time you spend in the shower.
3. Check toilets, faucets, pipes, and hoses for leaks regularly.
4. Use a compost system instead of the garbage disposal.
5. Run the washing machine and dishwasher only when you have a full load.
6. Drink water from the tap instead of bottled.
The job of a plumber is to install and maintain pipes, but in doing so, every plumber also takes on the responsibility of bringing clean water into the homes of Americans. Without these tradespeople, we wouldn’t have access to sanitary water to bathe with, potable water to cook with and drink, or clean water for dishes, laundry, the garden, and other things.
Not only is it important to remember how clean water gets to our homes, however, it’s also integral that we take steps to help, and that means making an effort to reduce water use and conserve this precious resource.
