We can tell you all about taking good care of your plumbing system. In fact, if you look back through our previous blog posts, we’ve talked about things like preventing frozen pipes by taking proper precautions, knowing the signs that you might have a leak such as the sound of dripping water when no plumbing fixtures are on, and only putting certain things down your kitchen sink drain to avoid clogs.
We thought it would be helpful if we also shared what not to do when it comes to your home’s plumbing system, so that you can take the best care of it possible and potentially even avoid the hassle of calling for plumbing repairs when it’s inconvenient–and let’s face it, plumbing problems are always inconvenient, right? Read on!
Don’t Flush Anything but Toilet Paper
So many things these days are marketed as “disposable” or even “flushable” that probably shouldn’t be. They’re made with materials that break down and biodegrade easier, yes. These things include disposable diapers, “flushable” wet wipes and makeup wipes, even biodegradable sanitary products.
This does not mean it’s actually a good idea to put these things down your toilet. Even if they do break down, it takes a long time–it’s not instantaneous. Therefore, you could be causing a build-up deep down in your toilet, that could eventually turn into a clog and leave you with an overflowing toilet or even a toilet leak.
We can help resolve this with toilet repairs, but we suppose you’d like to prevent it to begin with, and avoiding placing these products in your toilet is a good place to start.
Don’t Put FOG in Your Kitchen Sink
FOG stands for Fats, Oils, and Grease, and it’s the byproduct of cooking. It’s hot and liquified, of course, which may lead you to think it can safely go down your kitchen sink drain, especially if you have a garbage disposal system.
There’s two problems with this:
- You’re overestimating how long FOG stays liquified once it cools down, and
- Your garbage disposal will do nothing to FOG. It can solidify right there in the garbage disposal system, rendering it ineffective.
The biggest problem with FOG is that it creates stubborn, smelly clogs in your kitchen sink drain. It’s best to instead pour this substance into a disposable container and throw it away once it cools off.
Don’t Hang Things From Your Pipes
If you have exposed pipes–which many homes in the Salt Lake City area do, especially in their basements–they are there to transport water and nothing else. The only time you should really touch them is if you’re insulating them against winter weather. Otherwise, they shouldn’t be handled.
People often will wash and dry clothes, and use their plumbing pipes to hang those clothes before they can be put away. This is a bad idea as it can lead to pipe damage such as pinhole leaks.
See what keeps our customers saying “I Love My Design Comfort!” Contact us today for professional plumbing repair in Salt Lake City.
