When to DIY and When to Hire a Professional Plumber
With the heat steadily increasing by the day and children being home from school, many people find that their plumbing problems tend to increase during the summer. Plumbing clogs can range from minor momentary nuisances to major frustrating headaches. No matter how skilled you may think you are at dealing with them, it is far better and easier for you to avoid clogging your sinks and toilets. If you can’t seem to pinpoint the exact cause for the increase in plumbing issues you have, play it safe and start making changes to your habits to prevent them.
Watch What You Toss Down
Tissue is a product that as made specifically to be used and disposed of in the toilet. But that doesn’t mean other products that appear to be toilet safe really are. Wipes in the sewers are a major concern for many cities across the country. Many brands are not as biodegradable as tissue. Also, many people assume that products that are related to bathroom habits and hygiene are safe to toss down the toilet.
Common items that end up in toilets are Q-tips, wet wipes, diapers, sanitary napkins and dental floss. No matter how small an item is or how flimsy it seems, do not dispose of it in your toilets. The only thing you should be using in your toilets is tissue. Anything else can lead to plumbing clogs that can create major headaches and problems in the future.
Strain the Drains
People are spending more time at home during the hot season. As a result, they are cooking and using their water more. It’s a common assumption that large items won’t make it down the drains because someone will catch them before they do. But many small and seemingly harmless items make it down the drains and block them.
It’s a good idea for you to install some strainers to your drains to prevent future plumbing clogs. Strainers are very cheap, come in a variety of styles and can protect your home’s plumbing from major and minor catastrophes. Add one to each drain in your home to keep food, hair, paper, and other objects from accidentally finding their way inside of your drains and plumbing. When they become blocked, you only need to empty them in the trash and put them back in place.
Grease Causes Plumbing Clogs
You may not think that pouring grease down the drain is the source of many of your plumbing clogs, but it very well may be. Sure, it’s liquid, and you should be able to pour all liquids down the drains. But did you know that grease even in its liquid form is hazardous to your home’s plumbing system? Grease may be liquid when it’s going down, but at some point, it solidifies. The further down your drains and plumbing system it goes, the more it can cool off and leave fatty deposits that attract dirt and other debris.
Even if you run hot water, the water may not be hot by the time it reaches all of the oily deposits in your plumbing system. Also, grease can travel in the sewers and create blockages that cause sewage to back up into other people’s plumbing systems. You may think that this doesn’t have a direct impact on you, but your home is connected to the same sewers as the other properties in your neighborhoods. When other nearby homes start to experience plumbing blockages and sewer overflow in their homes, chances are you will too. You can avoid the problems that grease-related plumbing clogs create by disposing of your grease in another way.
With the three suggestions above, you can protect your home’s plumbing and avoid common clog issues. For more plumbing advice, check out our blog or contact Steve Mull Plumbing.
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