Plumbing Myths, Debunked

Did you know that if you stand in the middle of your bathroom, spin around four times and sing the soundtrack to the Broadway musical Hair backwards, you can unclog your shower drain? Ok, we know, that’s a little ridiculous and definitely not true, however there are a few myths floating around out there that require a little debunking.

“I read this on the internet, so it has to be true”

Unfortunately, the internet is not always right even though we so desperately want it to be. Plumbing is a very delicate and intricate craft and must be taken seriously so that you don’t have problems with your pipes in the future.

Myth: A leaky faucet isn’t a big deal

If the constant drip isn’t loud enough to make you pull your hair out yet it’s very easy to put off fixing your leaky faucet. While it might not be a big problem now it could be a big problem when your water bill comes back. Leaking faucets can wastes thousands of gallons of water and increase your bill significantly from month to month. Household leaks can waste more than 1 trillion gallons annually across the nation! This is not only bad for your wallet but also bad for the environment.

Myth: Lemons can clean your disposal

Tossing lemon peels down your garbage disposal might help your kitchen smell fresh and clean but it most definitely is not. Tossing lemon peels down your garbage disposal not only does not clean the disposal, it also could clog it and do damage to your drain. To clean your garbage disposal, your best bet is to check the manufacturers manual for proper cleaning techniques.

Myth: Running water while using the garbage disposal helps waste go down the drain

Running water can help soft materials go through the garbage disposal and down your drain safely but for large, hard materials, water does not help one bit. The safest way to dispose of these hard materials is to throw them in your waste bin.

So, what can I do?

As a rule of thumb, being gentle to your pipes and dropping the right items into them can prolong their lives and save you time, money and a headache. Unfortunately, pipes in your home can occasionally have issues (like when your child puts a toy down the garbage disposal… yeah we’ve been there). If you do have pipes that are causing you problems, schedule an appointment with the expert plumbers at Superior Drain.