5 Things that should never go down your drain
You just finished cooking dinner and proceeded to toss the leftovers in the kitchen sink to let the garbage disposal work its magic. You finish a masterpiece and wash your colorful paintbrushes in the sink of your bathroom. Or maybe you emptied your “flushable” kitty litter into the toilet. We’re all guilty of doing things like this more than once — oftentimes without a second thought passing through our minds. Though they may seem like insignificant happenings at the time, these small lapses of judgment
could start costing you over time.
You heard us, misusing the plumbing system in your house by letting certain objects enter it may eventually lead to a failure. Plumbing system failures are no joke and can be very costly. Although you can’t usually see most of the plumbing system in your house, there are precautions you can easily take to protect your system against future clogs and wear; such as being attentive about what goes down the drain and being proactive when problems begin to arise. These precautions may take a little habit curving, but they could save you thousands of dollars in the future.
- “Flushable” Kitty Litter: Even though the word “Flushable” is in the title, it’s unfortunately just not the case. Flushable kitty litter has been known to cause clogs within pipes and issues in the septic tank. As if that’s not bad enough, cat litter is known to pick up bacteria from feces; bacteria that are resistant to the routine chemicals used to treat the local water supply. Thus causing a threat to many animals. Save the sea otters (and your pipes) and toss the litter!
- Produce stickers: You may not even notice these little buggers when tossing citrus rinds into the disposal. The truth is they can cause big issues within your pipes. The little bit of adhesive that’s applied to these stickers can be enough to cause
them to get caught inside your plumbing. If they do manage to make it through your plumbing, they have the potential to get caught in wastewater treatment pipes and filters, thus causing issues with the equipment used to treat the local water supply. - Oily Substances: Any type of grease or fatty substance is a no-go when it comes to drains. They may go down as a liquid, but will soon solidify and become thick goopy nightmares. In fact, greases make up about 43% of all plumbing crises. The best method of disposal for these substances is pouring them into a jar until they solidify, and then toss them in the trash!
- Eggshells: Eggshells themselves may seem harmless, but as soon as the garbage disposal grinds them up into fine little pieces they have the ability to get trapped in grease and fats stuck in your pipes. Better safe than sorry, toss ‘Em!
- Coffee Grounds: Almost everyone thinks coffee grounds are fine enough that they won’t get stuck in the plumbing, but that’s unfortunately not true. Many plumbers will agree that coffee grounds are one of the most likely culprits behind a clog in your kitchen drain.
What to do if your drain gets clogged
Even when being vigilant of what goes down your drain, everyone experiences a clogged sink or toilet at some point in time. And while we wish your clogged pipes can be simply resolved with a plunger and some elbow grease, we understand it’s not always going to work out like that. When plumbing issues get severe, you need a knowledgeable professional who treats your house— and your pipes— like their own! Give us a call today!
