The 7 Deadly Plumbing Sins Plumbers will never be out of work; firstly because serious plumbing faults will always occur and will need to be repaired and secondly because of the problems that arise due to silly things that homeowners do to their household plumbing system.The 7 Deadly Plumbing Sins Sin 1 – Leaving Hoses Attached to Outdoor Faucets in Winter This is probably down to sheer laziness. A hose that is left attached to an outdoor faucet in extreme winter weather can be damaged. Not only is it bad for the hose but also it can cause the faucet and the water supply pipe to freeze. Sin 2 – Overuse of Drain Cleaner Drain cleaner products are a very effective and safe way of getting rid of blockages in drains if you use them carefully and on the right kind of blockage. However, when you are cleaning a drain do not use too much or you could corrode the drain itself and even make the blockage worse. When you finally call the plumber it may mean that extra work is required. Sin 3 – Damaging Hidden Plumbing Supply Pipes This is very easy to do. Never use an electric drill, a screwdriver or a hammer to start a DIY task before checking for hidden water pipes in the area in which you intend to work. If you do not and you puncture one, you could have a fine spray coming out of the wall or water pouring out if you hit a pressurized cold water supply pipe. Sin 4 – Contaminating a Septic System with Household Chemicals Septic systems rely on waste-eating bacteria being in the tank to function effectively. Putting some household cleaning chemicals into the tank via a sink will kill them off. Common chemicals that kill off these bacteria include chlorine bleach, drain cleaner, paint and even anti-bacterial soap. Sin 5 – Putting Too Much Down the Garbage Disposal A garbage disposal unit is designed to get rid of a small amount of food waste. The unit’s motor powering a spinning wheel with metal teeth isn’t meant to stop the drains getting blocked. Fibrous foods like chard and asparagus, rice and potato peelings can still block your drains and will mean that it is drain-cleaning time again. Sin 6 – Putting Grease Down the Kitchen Sink There is nothing worse than grease for blocking drains. The grease will harden as it cools and not only will you need to call the plumber but it will cause a terrible smell. That goes for meat fats, lards, cooking oil, butter and margarine, dairy products, sauces, food scraps and baking goods. All this can lead to blockages in not just your drains but in the whole of the area’s sewage system if all homeowners do the same. When you think of the disruption caused when a sewage line has to be unblocked, is it worth the convenience of pouring things down the sink to have such disruptive and expensive work going on? Sin 7 – Putting Garbage Down the Toilet Flushing garbage down the drain really is not a good idea! A toilet has quite a small pipe leading from it to the main drain that removes waste from the whole house. So the blockage caused will not just block the toilet but also more likely block all the drains from the house.
Posted on: Thu, 22 May 2014 21:09:26 +0000