When it comes to residential plumbing services – toilets, sinks, showers, drains, and more, there are numerous tricks that plumbers won’t tell you because they’re trade secrets. Sometimes a plumber won’t even tell you what the problem is until it is fixed if they should find the solution. For example, there is a video on social media platforms of a man stating he got paid thousands of dollars to fix someone’s drain which was backing up into their yard.
The solution? There was a bunch of sediment on an outside drain. All he ended up having to do after searching for the problem for a long time was lift the drain screen, dump it off, and everything ended up draining into the sewer like it should. Things like this don’t always happen, but it can. This is why most plumbers will offer information on their websites in order to help you not waste more money than you need to.
Don’t Trust Anything that Says It’s Flushable
Other than common toilet paper which is specially made to dissolve, don’t trust things like “flushable” wipes, as they aren’t made with the same break down says this Local Plumber Home Service Site. The reason being is that years ago, toilets weren’t as water efficient as they are now, so they may not have enough water to pump through your drain and force larger items down. If it’s not toilet paper, you might want to think twice about flushing it.
It’s Safe to Flush Cooking Grease in Cold or Hot Water
It is NEVER safe to flush cooking grease, and even oil that could contain anything that can solidify in it. When you pour fat down your drain, grease will harden like a rock that sticks to the sides and will build up. Think about it. If cholesterol is bad for your heart, because it builds up, how good do you think over time it will do to your drains? Some people believe that it is safe as long as you run scalding hot water, boiling water, or ice cold water and pour it slowly (to keep particles small), but all of these are bad.
Don’t Try Saving Water in your Toilet
Many people try the “glass of water” or even the “brick trick”, but what you’re doing is causing your toilet to not have enough water to push product down the drain properly. If your toilet is flushing too much, simply adjust the floater like you should. Make sure your toilet easily flushes with enough water by adjusting it a few notches higher than what it takes to actually make your toilet flush so you have enough water velocity to push items through the sewer drain to the public sewers. Otherwise, it may flush for a while, but eventually will settle in your drains.
Conclusion
There are numerous tricks that a plumber won’t always tell you, and you can easily find them online. Don’t just listen to other home users, but go to licensed plumber websites and see what tips and tricks may just end up saving you an actual call to have a plumber come to your home in the future.