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Common Plumbing Mistakes To Avoid

Here at Sinclair we’re here to solve your plumbing, heating and cooling problems. And while we’re always glad to hear from you, we’re also about helping you avoid making mistakes that would cause you to pick up the phone.

Here’s three common mistakes we want you to know about so you can avoid plumbing problems in your home:

* (Toy) Planes, Trains and Automobiles – Every plumbing company has stories about the strangest items they’ve retrieved after being flushed down the toilet. Toy cars are right up there on the list. As are small stuffed animals, LEGO’s, and other items small children like to watch go down the drain.

Years ago I read a “Dear Abby” column about two parents who intended to present their child with a bill when he turned 18. Their little Junior by the tender age of 3 had already cost them over $2,000 in plumbing bills from all the toys he’d flushed down the toilet.

When the foreign object gets stuck in the trap, the toilet must be removed to retrieve it. Sometimes people think plunging will force the item through, clearing the clog. It’s not a good idea as plunging can force the item deeper into the waste line where it will likely become jammed, causing a nasty back up.

Solution: Keep an eye on Junior! And if something does get lodged, don’t make it worse by plunging.

* Don’t Forget To Pull The Plug – When I lived in Arizona the home I purchased needed a new garbage disposal. The installation went smoother than I anticipated. A little too smoothly. I forgot to remove the knock out plug from inside the disposal. When I ran the dishwasher there was no place for the water to go and it caused a major leak.

Solution: Don’t forget to knock out the plug!

* Opposites Don’t Always Attract – When two different kinds of metal pipes are connected, it can accelerate corrosion. The scientific term is “dielectric corrosion”. It will cause scale to build up and clog the pipe.

Solution: Connect the pipes with a dielectric union. It’s a special connector that has a plastic sleeve and a rubber washer that keeps the two metals from coming in contact with each other.

The experts at Sinclair are always here to help you with your plumbing issues. Give us a call at 806-749-COOL (2665)

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