Some homeowners don’t realize that what they do on a daily basis can affect their plumbing system in the long run. What we are referring to is the fact that many do not know what they can and cannot put down their toilet, how much food they should and shouldn’t put down their drains, and how hair—yes hair—can lead to a clogged drain.
While some hair might not clog your drains/pipes, a lot can!
If you wash your hair in the bathtub or over a sink, and it has a pop up, you need to check it every so often and remove any hair. If you leave the pop up alone for weeks or months on end, the hair could eventually start prohibiting the water from moving down the drain correctly. Furthermore, the hair could also break free of the pop up and block your pipes somewhere else.
When in doubt about whether or not it can be flushed—just don’t do it!
There are not many things that you should flush down the toilet besides toilet paper. In fact, while it might make sense to flush things like tissues or paper towels down the toilet because they are similar to toilet paper, you shouldn’t! Tissues and paper towels are designed to hold water and will not break down quick enough to move through your drains and the sewer system. Other things that you should not be flushing include sanitary products and baby wipes.
Large chunks of food should never be put down the drain.
While your garbage disposal will effectively break down smaller pieces of food, you should never put large food scraps down there. Also, fats and oils leftover from cooking should never be put down the drain because they will eventually solidify and thus clog your drains.
Taking these three tips into consideration will undoubtedly help you to prevent future major, as well as minor, plumbing problems. Although, if you completely neglect your plumbing system, it is very possible that you may have some clogged drains in the future!