Myths can be fun, but not when they cost you money. Unfortunately, there are a lot of misconceptions floating around about plumbing in your home, and they tend not to fall into that fun category. Prestige Plumbing wants to help you drown out the myths that could be damaging your plumbing and costing you money.
Leaky faucets may not seem like *that* big a deal, right? Well… you’re kind of right. No, the leaky faucet won’t flood your home, but it will drain your wallet. Ignoring your leaky faucets comes down to just being wasteful. The average leak will waste over 10,000 gallons in a year, that’s equal to 270 loads of laundry. Fixing that leak, could save you nearly 10% on your water bill!
Your garbage disposal can take a beating from simple wear and tear, so avoiding do-it-yourself myths can help extend its life just a little bit longer. We commonly hear customers say that they need new blades despite sharpening them. How did they try to sharpen the blades you ask? Ice cubes. Ice definitely won’t help you sharped up your blades, but it can help clean them. If you think you are in need of new blades, give Prestige Plumbing a call. We’re more than happy to replace them for you. If you notice a funky smell around your sink, go ahead and toss a few cubes in and let the disposal run. You should avoid putting lemons down the drain to help with the odor. The internet is convinced lemon peels will mask that grody smell, but in reality, their scent fades quickly and they could clog up your drain.
Even with a garbage disposal, you should avoid dumping grease down your drains. Many customers we visit have the common misconception of running hot water down the drain after grease will prevent clogging. That isn’t quite the case. The hot water doesn’t do anything to break down the fat, meaning it’ll still clog your drain right up. Some homeowners have said they flush their grease to avoid clogging their sink. All that’ll get you is a plugged drain in your toilet. You should dispose of cooking fat in the trash where it won’t damage your home.
The bathroom tends to hold the most costly plumbing myths, especially your toilets. Keeping things that don’t belong in the toilet, out of the toilet may seem like common sense but there are many things you may think are safe, that aren’t. Some things that are labeled flushable, really aren’t! ‘Flushable’ wipes are one of the most common things our plumbers see clogging toilets. Yes, they will flush, but they don’t degrade like toilet paper and can lead to quite the drain issue. Paper towels and make up wipes are common culprits also seen in toilets that lead to some not so great results. Making sure things that find a home in the bathroom but are clearly labeled do not flush, are disposed of properly can save you a lot of headaches, and money.
Sometimes even things that do belong in the toilet, aren’t as great for it as you might think. Bleach is the most used cleaning spray in the US for household messes, but too much is never a good thing. A quick soak before scrubbing won’t ruin your bowl, or drain, but you should try and avoid the long-lasting bleach cleaner toilet snap-ons or tank tabs. Prolonged exposure to bleach can degrade the working parts of your toilet that will need a visit from the plumber to fix.
A long time, and very incorrect, myth is that it can be hard to find a local plumber and that you can do it yourself and that isn’t the case. Going to DIY route can make the issue much larger than it ever needed to be. Sometimes what you think is just a little leak, or a simple clog is leading to a larger, underlying issue that a plumber will need to diagnose. Local plumbers are much more common, and readily available than you may know.
Prestige Plumbing is proud to be a local plumber that offers emergency pluming services. We know that sometimes you just can’t wait for a problem to be solved, and you shouldn’t have to. Prestige Plumbing has the experience and care to help meet all your plumbing needs. To read more about commonly asked pluming questions, click here.
Comments