Biggest Plumbing Myths
Residents in the Chicago area, as in other parts of the world, often believe their home plumbing system is one big mystery while others simply take it for granted. At Rocket Plumbing, we often help our customers understand all that is involved in their plumbing system—including dispelling any myths, so they can help maintain their system while avoiding any unnecessary wear and tear.
A few of the most common myths we discuss with our Chicago residents are:
- The tighter a faucet handle is closed, the better—This is not only not true, but can be very damaging. Tightening the faucet handle too tightly is the number one cause of leaks and can actually cause pipes to break.
- With enough water, anything can be put down a garbage disposal—Wrong. People are often surprised at the long list of items that should never be put down a garbage disposal. These include onion skins and any fibrous foods because these substances can wrap around the grinding teeth and create a cloggy mess. Potato peels, meat fat, grease, oil, pasta, and even an eggshell’s membrane can also coat the disposal grinder with a film that eventually dulls the teeth and becomes odorous.
- Water pressure is more of an inconvenience rather than a real problem—Nothing could be further from the truth. Low water pressure and high water pressure are both signs that something is wrong and should be corrected before bigger problems result.
- Any kind of moist wipe can be flushed down a toilet—No, no, no, no. Unless specified, unlike toilet paper, moist wipes are not biodegradable and will, in time, end up plugging a toilet. Flushing wipes down a toilet is often be compared to flushing a sock down the toilet; both are wrong and can cause huge problems.
- Lemon is a wonderful, natural way to freshen up a garbage disposal —incorrect, as well. A lemon could be a great and natural way to freshen a disposal if the lemon peel and wasn’t so damaging to the disposal.
- A leaky faucet is not a problem—this could be true, if you don’t mind receiving a huge water bill. In fact, nationwide, leaky faucets are responsible for 1 trillion gallons of water waste. A faucet that leaks is a faucet that needs to be fixed to avoid bigger problems.
- There is no difference between a handyman and a plumber—Plumbers and handymen are like apples and oranges. Plumbers have a plumber’s license, usually after a four-year apprenticeship and nine years of field training. And, in some states, it is illegal for a handyman to provide any plumbing services because of the complexities surrounding a plumbing system.
Your home is too big of an asset to take your plumbing needs for granted. Speak with an expert today, at Rocket Plumbers, about what we can to help keep you and your house safe.
And if you have any more questions, don’t hesitate to ask. We are looking for more questions and answers to add to the above list.
