Although plumbing is considered to be one of the older industries in home building, there are still a few misconceptions about how plumbing systems work in Australia. Due to the lack of information, or too much unverified information available on the internet, there are still plenty of households who fall victim to several plumbing myths. To avoid these misconceptions, here are the most common ones and how to avoid them.
Pipes Can Handle a Crowd
As much as you would love to host weekend pyjama parties or to have your relatives around for the weekend, your septic and sewer line may not be up for the task. The line that moves the waste water from your home may not be able to handle the influx of guests from your home. These include the kitchen, showers and bathroom areas.
If you plan to have people staying over your home in Rockdale for a long period of time, you might want to have your drain pipes and plumbing system checked and maintained first. This is to ensure that no unexpected blogs or clogs would happen in your homes when there are visitors around, or after that. You can either ask your guests to be mindful of their water usage (which can be awkward) or have a plumber ready to attend to your emergency plumbing needs.
Boiling Water Flushes Grease
Although a small residue buildup of grease and soap can be removed and drained with hot water, grease cannot be completely removed with hot water alone. Grease is very sticky and can stick to drains, pipes as well as hot water. Boiling water can never completely flush down grease down the drain.
In some cases, as water begins to return to its room temperature, it may even stimulate grease to harden, creating a thick coating on your pipes. In reality, it can actually do more damage than help to your pipes. Grease that has heavily coated your pipes may lead to burst pipes as well as back flow issues. It would be ideal to remove the grease out of your pans with a paper towel or dispose of it in a jar to be placed in the garbage, rather than pouring it down the drain. Hire an affordable plumber Rockdale instead rather than compromising the integrity of your pipes at home.
Plunger + Chemicals to Remove Clogs
The most common method in removing clogs in drains is by using the plunger and chemical combination. The usual declogging tasks require pouring a chemical right after pumping the plunger onto the drain. This is not a logical and considered as a dangerous practice in removing clogs in the drain. Pumping your drain with a plunger after pouring chemical cleaners of decloggers in the drain can lead to splash back that can cause skin damage. Chemical cleaners making contact with your eyes can also lead to blindness. If you are using a plunger to remove a clog, use it without chemicals involved.
It is Safe to Flush Anything That Fits the Drain
Drains are built to wash down water and nothing else. There is a wrong misconception that if it fits the drain, it can be flushed into the drain. Always remember that drain pipes are not always built vertically. They can be laid down horizontally and sometimes require traps in some connections. It would be difficult to pass down a solid object in these traps unless excessive pressure is applied. Most pipes are no more than 4″wide. Flushing down toilet paper and bits of food down the drain will eventually result in buildup of debris and may increase the risks of clogs in the pipe system.
To be safe and secure, it would be ideal to consult all your plumbing needs and issues with a trained, professional plumber.
