Plumbing Don'ts: Common Mistakes People Make That Harm Their Plumbing
Your plumbing is something that you need to be careful with so you don't end up with some serious problems. Many people do things around their home that ruin their plumbing, and they don't even realize it. Here are some common plumbing mistakes that people make just by living their day-to-day lives.
Leaving hair in the drain
People shed their hair all the time, especially while in the shower. The water pulls hair loose, and then it falls and goes down the drain. People will long hair tend to have a bigger problem keeping their hair on their head. Many showers have a drain trap that keeps unwanted things, such as hair, from going down into the pipes. You should clean your drain traps often to keep serious clogs from happening.
Heavy shower caddies
Your fixtures can only handle so much weight. It's best not to use a shower caddie that hangs from your shower head. If you need extra shelf space in your shower, opt for a shelf that sticks to the shower wall, or one that stands up in the corner. If you have no other choice but to use one that hangs from your shower head, don't overfill it. You can end up bending the pipe or breaking off the shower head.
Ignoring a running toilet
A running toilet can waste around 200 gallons of water each day. Not only are you wasting valuable water, but your water bill will rise, and you can cause damage to your home. If you have a septic tank instead of city water, the continuously running toilet will fill up your septic tank too quickly. It will cause your tank to overflow and back up into your home.
Leaving outdoor hoses connected in the cold
It's common to not even think about your hoses outside as the weather changes. You no longer use them anymore, so you just leave them where they're at until spring time. When the hose stays connected, a little bit of water becomes trapped in the faucet. That little bit of water will likely freeze, which can not only damage your faucet, but your pipes as well. You don't want your pipes to burst because you didn't do something simple, like disconnect your hose.
Overusing drain cleaner
If you have a clog, you probably just pour some drain cleaner down the drain. If you live on a septic, you don't want to use the drain cleaner unless it's natural or septic approved. Septic tanks have natural bacteria that help break down the waste, and the drain cleaner can kill the bacteria, making your septic system less-effective. If you live on city water, you can use drain cleaner, just make sure you use it as directed. If you have a stubborn clog, that doesn't mean you should keep dumping bottles of cleaner down the drain until it finally remedies itself. If your clog doesn't improve after using drain cleaner as directed, you need to call a plumber.
Pouring grease down the drain
You might finish cooking a package of bacon and then pour all of your excess grease down the drain. That's a big no whether you live on septic or city water. Grease hardens as it cools, which will cause some severe clogs in your drain. Unless you want pipes coated with bacon fat, pour it into a jar when you're finished. You can either put it in the freezer to use again or just throw it in the trash can.
It's important to treat your plumbing right. If you do these little things to harm your plumbing, you'll end up needing costly plumbing repairs.