The plumbing in your home can stop working or become blocked for a number of reasons. Perhaps the drains have become damaged because of a chemical drain cleaning product you used. Sometimes, the cause may not be your fault at all; there are other factors that can cause a danger to your plumbing. Let’s take a closer look at five potential hidden dangers to your plumbing that you may not be aware of.
- Grease in the Kitchen Sink
The grease that’s used to cook your food should never be poured into the drain for disposal. It’s a far better idea to let the grease cool and then pour it into your regular trash. The reason for this is that grease can easily contribute to the formation of clogs in your drain. The oils will accumulate, and other material will start to adhere to it, and the clog will grow over time. Eventually, the clog will become large enough to block the drain entirely, and it will have to be removed.
- Tree Root Formations
Even if your trees look calm or asleep above ground level their roots underground are always active. Of course, you have pipes running under your yard, and these tree roots represent a significant danger to your plumbing. With enough time these roots can penetrate pretty much anything even building foundations. For these reasons, it’s a good idea to keep trees well back from your home and on the peripheries of your yard. If a root does break a line, it will have to be repaired quickly, and a rooter machine will be needed to remove the dangerous tree roots.
- Septic Issues
There are materials that you shouldn’t dispose of in your toilet because they will cause septic problems, such as paint and bleach. Some people use their toilet to dispose of all sorts of items, but this can cause blockages. Only waste and toilet paper should be flushed away, and everything else needs to go in the trash.
- More Waste Disposal Problems
Other plumbing fixtures in the home are also used to dispose of garbage. A prime example here is the garbage disposal unit, which can chew up and get rid of food scraps. Some people use their garbage disposal units to get rid of other materials, such as coffee grounds, grease, hair, bones, and starchy foods. These types of material form drain clogs and will eventually block your drain entirely.
- Older Water Heaters
Like any piece of complex equipment, your water heater can become more prone to failure and less efficient as time goes on. Regular servicing can really help to keep your water heater running as the manufacturer intended, but eventually, even this attention may not be enough to keep it working well. The age and general condition of your water heater will determine whether it’s economically viable to repair or whether a replacement would make more sense. If your water heater is serviced regularly, your
certified professional plumber will be able to advise you on its condition.
By Giovanni Longo President Flood Brothers Plumbing
Giovanni Longo is a 3rd generation master plumber who has been practicing his craft and trade in the greater Los Angeles area for well over a decade and a half. A plumbing and hydraulics-engineering innovator, Giovanni’s particular world-class expertise focuses on dealing with challenging sewer system designs as well as resolving complex commercial and residential draining issues. As a certified Flood Mitigation expert, he is also well versed in a wide variety of water damage and remediation solution.
