When it comes to plumbing issues, a lot of people have their own way of fixing things. Although some of these solutions may seem plausible, they’re not always a good approach. Sometimes a supposed quick fix is born from a longtime myth that can cause a lot of problems for homeowners. To avoid destroying the plumbing in your home, check the common plumbing myths below that may do more harm than good.
1. A Drip Doesn’t Matter
Whether it’s a showerhead faucet or a running toilet, you can waste thousands of gallons of water a year, and you’re paying for it. In most cases, the dripping faucet may be fixed easily by replacing a washer in the faucet. If a new washer doesn’t repair the leak, replacing the faucet or calling a plumber is your next two courses of action.
2. Use Lemons to Clean Your Garbage Disposal
Everyone has heard of this myth, both plumbers and nonspecialists alike, that if your garbage disposal starts to stink; just grind up lemon peels in your disposal and it’ll help deodorize it. It’s correct that the disposal will smell nice, but putting skins of lemon in it can also corrode the metal surface on it. Most likely you’ve known that putting ice cubes in the disposal will sharpen the blade; this is true. Also, the ice cubes in the disposal will help remove the odor-causing particles from the unit. And, adding some salt will strengthen the effect of the scrubbing effect, so in the future instead of lemons, use ice cubes and salt to clean your disposal.
3. I Can Put Almost Anything Down In My Disposal
Technically, it’s true that you can put anything in it, but there will be big consequences. Anything with grease, oil or fat will coat your pipes and create a messy clog that will be very difficult to remove. Stringy foods like celery or potato skins can also get caught in your blades and cause your disposal to lock. Coffee, bones, egg shells, and bread products are also no-nos.
4. Most Plumbing Tasks are Easy Enough To DIY
Sure, if you know plumbing why not? However, for almost any other plumbing work, call a licensed plumber in Oregon – Bend plumber, Eugene plumber, Portland plumber, and Salem plumber. The money you save by attempting a DIY plumbing repair could easily lead to major plumbing and structural repairs if anything all goes wrong.
5. Water Heaters Don’t Explode
The temperature pressure and relief valve are built to prevent your water heater from raising too much heat or pressure. But, improper maintenance that damages the T&P valve can cause a serious build-up, and that can turn your water heater into a bomb. Don’t repair your T&P valve or the area around it if you don’t know what you’re doing.
6. Not Caring About Plumbing Maintenance
Plumbing fixtures, like any other section of your home, need to be cared for and maintained if they are continually working properly. If you don’t consider the maintenance of your plumbing, then you run the risk of paying hundreds of money when a problem does arise. Simple drain maintenance from a local plumber in your Washington and Nevada home – Bellevue plumber, Seattle plumber, Spokane plumber, Vancouver plumber, Tacoma plumber, and Las Vegas plumber can save you from requiring emergency plumbing repairs or all sorts of new plumbing installations.
These are some very common plumbing myths because they sound so reliable. But don’t be fooled. Believing these myths to be true could potentially damage the longevity of your plumbing, and eventually your home. Keep yourself familiar with the latest plumbing and HVAC topics on our daily blog!
If you need plumbing, water heater, heating & cooling, and sewer & main line services in your Oregon, Washington, and Nevada home, just call 888-671-7767 or email [email protected], we have the licensed and qualified plumber available to help you with your plumbing and home service needs.
You may want to check out our other plumbing articles: