Common Mistakes That Ruin Plumbing
For many of plumbing does not come as second nature, but we still like to get our hands dirty and give it a try anyways. For others, we are just not informed about the bat habits we have that ruin our plumbing. Hubb Plumbing has been serving the greater Snellville, GA area for over 30 years and we know a thing or two about plumbing! We want to share some common mistakes first time do-it-yourselfers often make when taking on minor plumbing issues so you don’t make the same ones. We also want to inform you about harmful habits that can ruin your plumbing. If you find that you have already made one of these mistakes give us a call so we can help reverse the damages and ensure that your plumbing is in excellent condition!
1) Pouring grease down the kitchen drain.
One of the hardest habits for people to break is pouring grease (a lot of times bacon grease) down the drain in the kitchen. It is almost like trying to shove a whole pig down there. Grease will coagulate when it settles and really clog up your pipes.
2) Screwing, nailing or cutting into a wall with hidden plumbing pipes.
Be sure to check behind your walls before you screw, nail, or cut anything into your walls. Hidden pipes can be behind those walls and make for a very inconvenient mistake! You can check for hidden pipes by looking at a blueprint of your home or a schematic. If you do not have access to any of that material or that sounds overwhelming, then leave it to the professionals.
3) Using too much drain cleaner.
When used correctly and as directed on the right kind of drain clog, cleaners can be effective and safe for drains. When used recklessly, they can corrode some of the piping, and can actually make your clog worse! It’s also very inconvenient for the plumber who will eventually have to come clean the mess.
4) Leaving hoses connected during winter.
This is a common plumbing mistake that is mostly caused by forgetfulness or laziness. If hoses are left out all year can lead to freezing the outdoor faucet or its water supply. It is also damaging to your hose.
5) Pouring chemicals (and other harmful material) into a septic system.
Chemicals such as drain cleaner, chlorine, bleach, paint, and even anti-bacterial soaps can be very harmful for your septic tank. These chemicals kill the very important waste-eating bacteria in the septic tank, and the result is not pretty!
6) Putting things down the kitchen drain.
Even if you’re innocent of improper grease disposal, you may be guilty of being one of those people who think the garbage disposal is some kind of incinerator. Well, it’s not. It is simply a motor with two spinning teeth and really doesn’t do a whole lot to stop materials such as potato peels, flour, rice, and fibrous foods such as asparagus from clogging your drain.
7) Using the toilet as a trash can.
We saved the MOST common for last. We all pretty much know it is harmful but for some reason many of us do it anyway. We throw things down the toilet just expecting it to magically disappear. Out of sight-out of mind, right? Wrong. The 3-inch drain pipe that extends from your toilet extends the drain pipe for the entire house! In other words discarding improper materials down the toilet can ultimately stop up everything in the house. The only things that should be flushed is toilet paper and you-know-what.
At Hubb Plumbing we see a lot of these common plumbing mistakes and we know just how to fix them. We encourage you to stop these bad habits but if it’s already too late then let us know. We can take care of all your plumbing needs!
Hubb Plumbing
(404) 925-4675
3695 Hewatt Ct. Southwest
Snellville, GA 30039