Don’ts in Plumbing

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1. Don’t pour oil or grease down the drain

There is a common misunderstanding that running hot water while pouring grease down the drain is the way to go so your drains don’t clog because eventually at some point the grease is going to get cold and solidify in your drains. It will start trapping debris here and there until it clogs your pipes.

There is a much more efficient way to safely dispose of your grease and it is so simple that you just have to wait for it to solidify and throw it into the compost bin. If you want a faster way than just waiting for it to solidify, try adding baking soda and mixing it will become a thick paste ready to be tossed into the trash.

2. Don’t pour hot water into the toilet

Toilets are made of porcelain, even though they are heavy and look heavy-duty pouring excessively hot water down a toilet can cause the porcelain to crack. Warm water is okay, but boiling hot water is definitely not recommended.

If you are looking to unclog a toilet using a plunger might be your best solution. While it might appear basic it will definitely do the work.

3. Don’t Over-Tighten Fittings

Many homeowners love to do DIYs here and there, but be careful not to over-tighten fittings and connections as they can break easily. Hand-tight is just right, no need to use tools and overdo it.

4. Don’t Ignore Leaks

Imagine you have a bag full of coins and there is a small hole where coins are falling out every minute. You could say that this is a good representation of what a water leak does to your pocket. For example, a running toilet can waste 200 gallons per day. Fix the small leaks before they become a big costly problem.

5. Don’t dispose coffee grounds in the sink

Perhaps one of the things that many do not know about but disposing of coffee grounds in the sink can be catastrophic as coffee grounds easily clump together clogging the pipes. If you need to dispose of coffee grounds, the best place is in compost.

6. Don’t put high fiber materials in the disposal

Your garbage disposal machine is an amazing tool to make bits here and there that drop down the sink disappear, but it was definitely not built to dispose of corn husks, onion skins, celery and other high fiber materials as it might be caught up around the disposal blades and burn out the motor.