There Are Serious Limitations on What Your Drains Can Handle | Insight from Your Trusted Denton, TX Plumber
People have been known to put a very wide range of things down their drains. However, Denton, TX residents should remember that their drains aren’t meant to handle everything, meaning that such practices can force them to call in a professional plumber on a much more regular basis than what they would like.
What Are Some of the Worst Things that People Put Down Their Drains?
Here are some examples of the worst things that people put down their drains:
Grease and Cooking Oil
It is very common for people to put grease as well as cooking oils down their drains. However, Denton, TX residents should never do this because both can cause plumbing problems that most people can’t solve without a plumber‘s help. First, these substances can congeal into sludge in the pipes, thus causing either partial or complete blockages. Second, sludge can trap food debris as well as other objects put down the drains, meaning that a partial blockage can become a complete blockage within a very short period of time. Third, such substances can be either water-resistant or even water-proof, which can make them very difficult for interested individuals to dislodge on their own without the help of a plumber. People might not see plumbing problems when they put grease and cooking oils down their drains the first time or the second time, but they are something that can build up out of sight and out of mind.
Egg Shells
Egg shells shouldn’t go down the drains. This is because they are very stable, meaning that they won’t decompose for a very, very long time under most circumstances. As a result, if egg shells manage to get stuck in the pipes, they are going to be there for some time unless interested individuals call in a plumber. Even worse, their presence can make it easier for other objects to get stuck in the plumbing system as well, which isn’t even considering how their membranes can get wrapped around the grinding mechanisms of garbage disposals.
Flour
It is interesting to note that glue isn’t a modern invention. Instead, a wide range of people have made a wide range of glues using a wide range of substances. One excellent example would be flour, which can be mixed with water to produce a glue-like substance. This is relevant because it means that Denton, TX residents should never put flour down their drains. Partly, this is because the flour can mix with water to create a sticky mess that will become lodged in the pipes; and partly, this is because that sticky mess will make it much easier for other objects to get stuck as well.
Potato Peels
Curiously, potato peels shouldn’t be put down the drains for the same reason as flour. Basically, the starch contained in potatoes can be turned into glue as well, meaning that it can contribute to the same set of plumbing problems. On top of that, potato peels can be pretty sizable as well, thus making it very easy for them to get stuck inside the pipes. Something that is particularly true if there is already something in them.
Rice and Noodles
Neither rice nor noodles should be put down the drains because of their ability to soak up water. Basically, while rice and noodles might look small enough to go through the pipes of a plumbing system with no problems whatsoever, their makeup means that they will swell up with water when they are therein. This will cause them to take up much more space than what interested individuals might have anticipated, which is why they have forced more than one household to call for help from a skilled and experienced plumber when foreseeable but nonetheless unforeseen plumbing problems popped up because of their presence.
Paper Towels
On a related note, paper towels and other paper products with a similar ability to soak up water should stay out of the plumbing system as well. They tend to be even better than rice and noodles at swelling up by soaking up water, thus making them an even bigger potential nuisance. The only paper products that people should put down their drains are those such as toilet paper that are supposed to go there. Even then, interested individuals should be very careful, which should be clear to anyone who has ever experienced a clogged toilet because they have flushed too much toilet paper.
Produce Stickers
Produce stickers should be tossed into the trash rather than put down the drain. On their own, they might not seem particularly problematic. However, they are capable of sticking to a wide range of surfaces, meaning that they can get stuck inside of pipes where they won’t break down anytime soon. Thanks to this, produce stickers are actually quite capable of contributing to blockages.
Contact Us
If Denton, TX residents aren’t sure whether they can or can’t put something down their drains, it is better to assume “No” than run the risk of having to call in a plumber. This is because it is much easier to list the things that plumbing systems were meant to accommodate rather than the things that plumbing systems weren’t meant to accommodate, meaning that it is much likelier for something to be the latter than the former. Still, if people are determined to get more use out of their drains, they don’t have to call in a plumber beforehand. Instead, there are plenty of sources that they can check for the relevant information without having to call in a plumber at all.
Contact bluefrog Plumbing + Drain of North Dallas, we want our customers to get nothing but the best results when they choose us to be their plumber, which is why we are prepared to answer everything. By doing so, we believe that we can make a huge difference for our customers’ chances of getting the results that are best for their particular needs and interests.
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