Common Plumbing Myths that Could be Costing You Money

There are many myths and old wives tales that still exist about how to get away with not calling a plumber to maintain your plumbing. These myths can lead to you taking unnecessary risks and costing you more money on repairs in the long run.

Myth 1: Ice cubes and egg shells sharpen your garbage disposal blades.
Fact: Ice cubes and egg shells are only good at cleaning your blades and do not sharpen them. These two items will also keep your garbage disposal smelling fresh, but that is as far as their benefits go.

Myth 2: Throw lemon or orange peels down the garbage disposal to keep it smelling fresh.
Fact: Only heavy duty garbage disposals will be able to cut through the peels. If you do not have a heavy duty garbage disposal you are running the risk of causing a blockage. The peels do give off a nice smell but the risk of a clog and the citric acid in the fruit peels causing erosion is too much of a risk to take for a fresh smelling garbage disposal.

Myth 3: Most plumbing issues can be solved through DIY solutions.
Fact: If this were completely true there would be no need for plumbers. The simplest of issues can actually be made much worse through the intervention of DIY solutions. Plumbers are trained professionals that know how to safely deal with a variety of plumbing issues. If you are in an emergency situation, take emergency measures and then call a plumber.

Myth 4: You can not get a plumber to come out in a hurry.
Fact: You would be surprised how many plumbers offer a 24 hour service, and how much of their business if based on emergency call outs.

Myth 5: If water goes down the drain, then it is in perfect working order.
Fact: This is partly true as it is possible that whatever you are putting down your drain is collecting at one spot in the system and is slowly causing a blockage. Educate yourself on what you should and shouldn’t be flushing down your drains to avoid future emergency situations.

Myth 6: A plunger can remove any clog.
Fact: Just because it looks simple on a YouTube tutorial does not mean it is an easy job. Someone inexperienced with using a plunger can cause an overflow, which results in an unnecessary mess. If you don’t have to intervene, rather call a plumber and leave the job to the professionals.

Myth 7: A wire hanger can be used as a plumbing snake.
Fact: A wire hanger can be used but you should wrap the side you are going to stick down the drain with a soft cloth that is secured by elastics. This way the wire hanger will not damage the inside of your pipes.

When it comes to your kitchen sink, laundry trough or any drain, think Inspector Jet. We can see what you can’t and clear what you won’t.