Home Plumbing Myths
December 1, 2021 | Plumbing
In today’s world of DIY projects and the internet, it’s likely that you have heard of several tips and tricks related to your home’s plumbing. Most of the time, these hacks end up doing more harm than good. Mattex wants to set the record straight on some of these common myths so that you can save yourself the headache.
Toilet Myths
One of the more common toilet cleaning hacks out there is to use bleach tablets either in the toilet bowl, or the toilet tank. While bleach is great at cleaning and disinfecting, it can be damaging to the toilet itself. If you do use bleach, be sure to clean and rinse it within 10 minutes of applying to avoid damage. If used often enough without rinsing, bleach can actually break down the inner workings of the toilet.
Another myth we see is “flushable” products such as baby wipes and paper towels. Even though the product packaging may claim that they are flushable, be sure to do a little more research before flushing them down the drain. Although these products may go down the toilet okay after flushing, it doesn’t mean that they will totally dissolve in the pipes. Baby wipes are one of the biggest causes of drain blockages. Have you ever been told to put a brick in the tank of your toilet? Well, don’t do it. The theory behind this is that it will help save water by making the water capacity in the tank less. While this may be partially true, you run a high risk of breaking the internal parts of the toilet tank such as the flapper. If the flapper breaks, you will likely have to flush more often which makes the brick trick pointless.
Sink Myths
Garbage disposals are a great tool in the kitchen, but do require occasional cleaning. A tip that has been around for years is to throw a lemon or orange peel down the drain while running the garbage disposal. While it will make your kitchen smell fresh and clean, it comes at the expense of dulling the garbage disposal blades. Instead, we recommend using a mixture of vinegar and baking soda for quick cleaning. Have you ever heard of mixing boiling water with grease to help it go down the sink drain? This is a myth!
You should never dump grease down any drains no matter what form it is in. If you live outside of town and are on septic, this could be detrimental to your septic system. Even if you are on city sewer, you could be asking for a complete breakdown of your drain plumbing. You’ve likely experienced a leaky faucet before and thought, “Oh, it’s no big deal, I’ll get around to fixing it.” Did you know this is one of the more problematic myths for the globe and your wallet? Fixing that leaky faucet can save you around 10% on your water bill! Give us a call today at (217) 425-3527 to get that leak stopped!
I Can Fix This Myself
In an earlier blog post, we outlined the importance of hiring a licensed plumber. This is because it is too easy to turn a small issue into a costly problem when it comes to plumbing. Some individuals would rather try to tackle the job themselves to save some money, and then end up regretting it later. It is important to be sure that your plumber has all the appropriate knowledge and experience to get the job done quickly and right.
