Your home’s plumbing is critical to almost every aspect of your daily life, from bathing to cooking and cleaning. So it is essential to understand how to care for your plumbing correctly and to know which tips are nothing more than myths or old wives’ tales. Knowing what is necessary and what works will allow you to maintain your pipes and fixtures properly and avoid costly repair bills.
MYTH – Your drains are fine as long as the water is still flowing down them. TRUTH – This is not true at all. All of the drains in your home are subject to clogs as the residue from greasy substances like bath products and cooking oil build up inside the pipes. This residue becomes tacky over time and is the substance that begins trapping food and debris particles that form clogs. All drains should be professionally cleaned regularly to avoid clogs that can cause costly water damage to your home.
MYTH – Running water will help keep your garbage disposal from clogging. TRUTH – Running water will only help the ground up particles flow from your disposal a bit faster. It will not prevent clogs. Some materials should never be put down a garbage disposal. These items include coffee grounds, eggshells, banana peels, and potato peels. Even running water with these foods is not going to lessen the damage that you are doing to your garbage disposal. Nor eliminate the potential for a clog.
MYTH – A leaky faucet is nothing to worry about. TRUTH – Even a small drip of water from your tap will add up over time and is a massive waste of money and a precious natural resource. The EPA estimates that each year leaky faucets in the United States waste about 1 TRILLION gallons of water. To put that into perspective, that is enough water to fill over 40,000 swimming pools each year! And while you might think that your one dripping faucet is not a major offender, repairing that leak will help to lower your monthly water bill and save this limited resource.
MYTH – Tank toilet cleaners are the best way to clean your toilet. TRUTH – Your toilet bowl will look clean as long as you are continually using a toilet tank tab cleaner. But these tabs often release too much chlorine when they are first placed in the tank. This high level of chlorine will, over time, cause damage to the inside of your toilet bowl and make it more prone to stains and more difficult to clean. In-bowl toilet cleaners are the best automatic option for toilet cleaning.
MYTH – Putting lemons down your garbage disposal will keep it clean. TRUTH – Placing a lemon in your garbage disposal will do nothing more than make it smell like lemon. And while this might be better than the current smell, it is not doing anything to clean or eliminate the odor-causing debris in your garbage disposal. The best way to eliminate odors and clean your disposal is with warm soapy water and a brush. But be sure to unplug the disposal before beginning this cleaning process.
MYTH – All Plumbers are the same. TRUTH – This is not an assumption that can be made about anything or anyone. There are good plumbers, mechanics, and doctors. The trick is to find a good one. When you are searching for a plumber in , begin your search by looking at only licensed plumbers who are in good standing with the BBB and any other regulatory agencies or commissions in your area. Next, read the comments that your friends and neighbors are leaving on service provider websites, the BBB, and on contractor websites. Also, understand that excellent plumbing work is not all that you want from your plumber. Be sure to look for a company that provides the full package, including great customer service, a good warranty, fair pricing, and extended hours for easy scheduling. In the area, all of these criteria can be found in Flow Plumbing, who is known as the plumber you can trust. Our company has been working in the community for over 30 years. Our goal is to fix our customer’s plumbing issue and receive a rating of 100% customer satisfaction for all of the work that we provide.