When you put things down your drains that shouldn’t go down them, you can negatively impact your home and its plumbing.
Your Buffalo, New York home’s plumbing is a key component of your home and you and your family’s comfort. Many common plumbing issues and clogs can be avoided by people in your home not putting certain items down your drains. Below we review a list of items you should never put down your drains.
Items You Should Never Put Down Your Drains
When you put things down your drains that shouldn’t go down them, you can negatively impact your home and its plumbing. We have reviewed before foods you should avoid putting down your garbage disposal, and while many of those items are also on the list below, there are some other things that you should avoid watching circle down your drain to prevent plumbing issues, with or without a garbage disposal.
Check out this list of items you should never put down your drains:
– Grease: It is a common plumbing myth that if you put grease down your drain while running hot water it will liquefy and disappear. Grease actually sticks to the inside of your pipes and once it cools and solidifies it will build up and can create a clog and blockage in your Buffalo plumbing. Putting grease down your drains is not recommended.
– Eggshells: Because eggshells are delicate and fragile, many people think that they can go down their drains without causing a problem; we are here to tell you that that is not true. Eggshells that become wet can be sticky and coat your pipes. The sharp, hard edges of eggshells then collect other things coming down your drain and eventually this will lead to a clog.
– Produce Stickers: While you may not think of this one, because, let’s be honest, most of us are guilty of washing our fruits and vegetables and watching the little sticker make its way down the drain, produce stickers can cause issues for your plumbing. They don’t dissolve in water, are sticky, and can clog your pipes and block screens and filters.
– Coffee Grounds: Just because we can drink coffee, doesn’t mean the grounds are safe to go down your drain. Coffee grounds, like most of the other items we have reviewed, will build up and can cause blockages. Coffee ground induced drain issues are one of the most common plumbing issues in a home.
– Flour: When it comes to flour, think about the consistency it turns to when combined with water. Flour coagulates when mixed with water. This thick and pasty substance that is formed can create a clog by coating the pipes and making a sticky surface to catch other bits of debris and particles going down the drain.
– Pasta and Rice: When you cook pasta and rice you can watch them grow and expand as they boil; well, they can do the same thing in your pipes. Starchy foods, such as pasta and rice can swell up and clog your pipes. Pasta and rice are also sticky, so if in your plumbing, they will catch other items, which could lead to a larger clog and issue.
– Paint Products: Paint products are not only bad for the environment, if washed away down your drains, they also can create a clog in your Buffalo, NY pipes. Good Housekeeping suggests allowing small amounts of leftover paint to dry and harden before throwing it in the trash, instead of washing it down the drain.
In the above we review a list of common items you should never put down your drains; however, just because something isn’t on that list, doesn’t mean you should wash it away. A few other items you should avoid are: “flushable” wipes, paper products, cleaning supplies, old medications, bleach, cooking oil, and motor oil.
Keep in mind, this list in not inclusive, if you have to question if something should go down your drain, you should probably dispose of it by other means.
If you have plumbing issues in your Buffalo home, contact Reimer Home Services. Reimer is your locally trusted plumber in Buffalo and Western New York. Our Buffalo plumbers are available Day or Night to help you and your home. We provide upfront estimates and we don’t charge you anything extra for service on nights or weekends.
