In our last blog post, we talked about some of the best things you can do for your plumbing system. While this is often an easy part of your home to take for granted, taking steps such as scheduling plumbing maintenance, treating your garbage disposal the right way, and knowing the signs of drain clogs or leaks will keep your fixtures and appliances in good shape.
If anything goes wrong with your plumbing system, we aren’t very far away—contact us for all your plumbing necessities! In the meantime, read on as we share some of the worst ways to use your plumbing system. Avoiding these will help further keep those pipes in great shape.
Please Don’t Do This to Your Plumbing System:
Put Anything But Toilet Paper Down the Toilet
These days, you’ll find a lot of products in the store that are marketed as “flushable.” And it’s not that this is inaccurate, these products do break down in water better than other paper products like paper towels or napkins. However, the problem is they don’t break down very fast. So if you’re using these products consistently, you’re likely to end up with a clog.
While we’ll never discourage you from using biodegradable products, we will discourage our customers from using those “flushable” products in their toilets.
Put FOG Down Your Kitchen Sink
FOG stands for Fats, Oils, and Grease. You might think this would be harmless to pour down your kitchen sink. After all, it’s liquid, right? Well, unfortunately, just as it hardens and congeals on your pots and pans, it also does that within your drains. If you accidentally pour FOG down your drain, the best thing you can do is run hot water for a couple of minutes. Otherwise, you should pour FOG into a disposable container and throw it away once it cools.
Store Too Much Under the Sink
If you’re like many homeowners, you like to save space wherever you can. As a result, you probably use the area under your sink for cleaning supplies, reusable bags, trash bags, and maybe even a trash can. The problem with this is if you put too much down there, you risk accidentally shoving stuff into the p-trap pipe as well as your garbage disposal, which can lead to leaks.
The smallest of leaks, if left unnoticed, can waste gallons of water each year, plus create mold growth and subsequent unsanitary conditions. Always make sure whatever you have in the sink isn’t blocking off any pipes or the garbage disposal collector.
Use Chemical Drain Cleaners
These “solutions” are caustic, and can actually do more harm than good to your pipes. Additionally, they don’t dissolve all types of clogs, and can actually create clogs of their own.
Rather than using these liquid drain cleaners, it’s best to hire a professional plumber to do a professional video pipe inspection and clean your drains using a method such as hydro-jetting.
For professional plumbing in Woodbridge, VA, look no further than AllTech Services, Inc. Contact us today!