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Plumbing Myths Debunked

From putting a brick in your toilet tank to throwing eggshells down your garbage disposal, there are a lot of ideas floating around out there regarding how to properly care for your plumbing. Never fear — your Austin plumbers are here to set the record straight. Let’s take a look at some common plumbing notions and learn which ones are misconceptions and which actually hold water.

Leaky Faucets Are a Fact of Life

False! That leaky faucet is not only costing you money every single month, it’s also contributing to extra wear and tear on your faucets and fixtures. When a leak occurs, rust, rot, and mold can build up in its wake, leading to the need for additional repairs and replacements down the line. Don’t let a leak linger; if you’re unable to fix it yourself, call in your residential plumber for assistance.

Garbage Disposal Myths

What you should put in your disposal (and why) is a hot topic of debate. Ice cubes, lemon peels, eggshells — what actually works? It’s a misconception that ice cubes keep the disposal blades sharp, but they do clean the blades, as do eggshells. If your disposal starts to smell, try either of these to fix the issue. Lemon peels are also lauded for their fresh scent, but if your disposal isn’t powerful enough, the peels will cause a clog. White vinegar is a great substitute to dispel odors while keeping the disposal running smoothly.

Toilet Tall Tales

While a clogged garbage disposal is definitely annoying, a malfunctioning toilet is much worse. Don’t just try anything you read online — we’ve got the scoop on what works and what’s a load of you-know-what. For instance, you may have heard that placing a brick in your toilet tank will help you conserve water. While true in theory, in practice, the brick breaks down over time and can damage other parts of the toilet. Another misconception: those “flushable” wipes aren’t actually flushable. Sure, they’ll go down the toilet (so will any number of things) but they don’t biodegrade like toilet paper, and we’re seeing an increasing number of calls where a backlog of wipes have built up into a major clog. A final toilet myth we’d like to tackle: the direction in which the water swirls during a flush has nothing to do with which hemisphere you’re in and is entirely based on how the toilet was designed.

Preventive Maintenance Isn’t Worth It

Like so many of the myths we’ve debunked today, this one is patently false. Just because your pipes appear to be working properly now doesn’t mean there isn’t a major clog or other issue building up just around the corner — one that your residential plumber might easily spot and take care of during a routine maintenance visit. Keep your entire system in good shape (and keep plumbing worries and woes off your mind) by signing up for regular maintenance.

Are there plumbing myths we haven’t covered here? Your Austin plumbers are always on call to answer questions and provide assistance. Don’t believe everything you read — check in with us to ensure you’re not causing more harm than good!

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