4 Things Never to Put Down the Drain

You may have heard never to put oils or corrosive solvents down the drain. The list contains other items as well, and some that you might not expect. Here’s what you need to avoid, and why.

1. Fats and Oils

If you can imagine what happens when fats, oils and grease get cold, you can understand why they present such a hazard to your plumbing. When they are hot, these food products are often in a liquid form. As they cool, they become solid and stick readily to a metal surface. This can lead to clogs in your plumbing, or further down in the city sewer line. Blockages caused by grease could lead to a sewer backup into your home, which is definitely not something you want. Instead, plan to reuse the fats or oils, or let them cool and put them in the garbage can.

2. Harsh Solvents

There is a reason that plumbers tell you over and over again not to use chemical cleansers to solve a clog in your drain. Chemicals are often ineffective at removing clogs, which means that they sit on top of the clog. Left too long, this could corrode your plumbing and create a much larger (and more expensive) problem. This is also true for paints and other solvents, that you might want to pour down a drain instead of researching a proper way to dispose of them. If you have a stubborn clog, contact your Sacramento plumber for help. Ask your local waste management facility about the best way to get rid of other environmental pollutants.

3. Non-Food Items

You know that the garbage disposal in your kitchen is designed to break up food items, but not other things. Paper products and wrappers are not meant to go into your plumbing, and can trigger a clog that you will need professional assistance to remove. Remember this rule for your toilet as well, and remind family members only to flush toilet paper and human waste down the drain. Some products are marketed as being safe to flush, but this does not mean that they are. If you want to generate less garbage, consider investing in some reusable cloths to use in cleaning, and save the drains from non-food items.

4. Medications

You should also keep in mind the environmental impact of the things you put in the drain. When you have an old prescription and you do not know what to do with it, you might consider flushing it down the toilet. This may not be a practical move, however, since the medications may dissolve into the water and pass into other water sources such as streams, rivers and lakes. Instead of flushing old medications, follow advice from the Food and Drug Administration for safely throwing them away. This will protect your plumbing and the water supply, as well.

The last thing you want is for your plumbing to have trouble because of your flushing habits. For expert advice and assistance concerning your drains and toilets, contact Ace Plumbing.