Keep These Materials Out of Your Kitchen Sink!

When you interact with anything as much as you do your plumbing system, it is easy to start taking the subject at hand for granted. As anyone that has dealt with plumbing problems knows, however, it becomes very clear very quickly that these systems should not be taken for granted. Ever. Why? Because any disruption to your plumbing system’s performance is going to result in a disruption to your daily routine! That’s why you need to be careful about what you put down the drain.

It may not sound like the most major concern, especially for those of you that have a good garbage disposal in place. Just keep in mind, however, that it’s not something as absurd as shoving a cantaloupe down the drain that typically causes drain clogs. Instead, it’s usually just putting reasonable amounts of the wrong materials down your drain. Garbage disposal in place or no, there are some things that are best destined for the trash barrel!

Foods Like Pasta, Beans, or Potatoes

Why? Because these foods take on and absorb a lot of water. Here, the matter is not really whether or not you have a garbage disposal that can handle grinding these materials up. Pretty much any unit will be able to do that. The issue instead is that these foods, even when ground up, will expand when they have the opportunity to absorb water. And what do you think that is going to do in your pipes?

That’s right. What seemed to be a pretty small amount of food waste is now bloated to the point where passage through the drain pipe is more difficult or all-out impossible! If you have some leftover potatoes, pasta, or beans to get rid of, make sure they’re headed for the compost bucket and not down the disposal.

Liquids Like Hot Grease or Melted Fat

Surely you jest, you may be thinking, those are liquids! What are we supposed to be putting down our drains if not liquids? Well, that’s the issue. Yes, these materials are liquids—so long as they are hot. When they cool down, however, they can congeal, and that is going to cause major problems in your drain.

Now, it may not be a case of so much fat or grease hardening up in your drain that it blocks the pipe off entirely. What can happen, though, is that these materials will trap other bits of food debris that would otherwise pass through your pipes without issue. And that is when serious clogs can and do occur.

Liquid Drain Cleaners

Wait, what?!? Okay, we’re not saying that you are going to cause a clog by pouring liquid drain cleaners down your drains. And we’re not even saying that chemical cleaners don’t have their place. But most people vastly overestimate just how effective such solutions actually are in clearing up drain clogs.

If you really want your drains effectively cleaned out, nothing beats professional drain cleaning. It will cost more than a bottle of liquid cleaner, but with far superior and longer-lasting results.

Schedule your plumbing services with Goettl Air Conditioning and Plumbing. We Do Things the Right Way, Not the Easy Way.