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Are you bothered by persistent toilet clogs or stopped up kitchen and bathroom drains? Many homeowners find themselves dealing with these annoying circumstances every day. It’s why drain cleaning in Elmira is one of the most common reasons people call the plumber. Unfortunately, by the time homeowners decide to call for service, the problem is extensive and the cost of repairs more than expected. Do you want to save your water pipes and keep more money in your hand? Then ask yourself the following question. Am I harming by drains and pipes without knowing it? The answer may surprise you. Here are some ways that homeowners do more harm than good to their plumbing system. Using Chemical Drain Cleaners Take a trip to your local home improvement store and stroll down the plumbing aisle and you’ll probably see a large number of drain cleaning products. If you’ve had a stubborn sink or toilet that doesn’t drain or drains slowly, you’ve probably found yourself staring at the backs of these products trying to decipher which one is the best product for the problem. The answer is that none of these products are effective at relieving tough clogs and can lead to additional plumbing problems. Chemical drain cleaners contain elements that can corrode piping. When pipes corrode, they develop weak spots and leak. Pipes that leak cause water damage, making it difficult to use household plumbing components, and can be expensive to repair. Solution: If you have a stubborn clog that does not respond to simple plunging, call a local plumber and ask about their drain cleaning specials. Plumbers have special equipment like drain snakes and hydro-jetting wands that break up thick clogs and protect your plumbing system. Flushing the Wrong Items Down the Toilet Too many people use their toilets like they are trash cans. Toilets and the sewer/septic system of a residential plumbing system are not designed to handle anything other than organic waste material and toilet paper. Flushing things like feminine hygiene products, Q-tips, facial tissues, paper towels, cotton balls, cleansing wipes, and diapers (yes, people do flush this item down their toilets with disastrous consequences) can harm your plumbing system. At the very least, you could experience the toilet overflowing, but, in the worst case scenario, you could be faced with major plumbing replacement that can cost thousands of dollars to fix. Why take that chance? Solution: Obviously, the solution is only to flush 1 or 2-ply toilet paper. In households where there are small children, you may want to consider purchasing a toilet lock. While it does impede convenience, it prevents curious toddlers from experimenting with flushing things like toys, stuffed animals, pacifiers, and blankets down the toilet when you’re not looking. Pouring Grease and Fat into the Kitchen Sink Tossing the contents of a pan filled with cooking grease into the sink and rinsing the liquid down the sink may seem like no big deal, but you’d be wrong. Substances like grease, oil, and cooking fats harden as they cool. Any little bit that is left over in your pipes will harden. Over time, clogs form because tiny particles can’t move freely through the pipes anymore. Solution: Keep a large jar under your kitchen sink to pour used cooking oil and fats in. You can also place a colander in a plastic bag and pour the grease into the colander. The plastic bag will catch the liquid and can be tied up and thrown away. If you notice a problem with sinks, toilets, or floor drains draining, call for drain cleaning in Elmira sooner rather than later. It will save you time, money, and a lot of frustration.
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