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Though you may consider yourself an amateur plumber, even people with plumbing experience make mistakes once in a while. During your latest DIY plumbing project or even your day-to-day living, you may have inadvertently been the cause of your latest leak or clog. Here are a few common plumbing mistakes you may be guilty of. Overusing the Garbage Disposal The name “garbage disposal” is a bit deceiving, since your disposal is not the right place to dispose of most garbage. While your disposal can handle small bits of food waste, it is not intended to be used to discard large food scraps. Orange rinds, pumpkin carvings, and potato peels can all clog your disposal and damage the blade. Encourage your family and guests to scrape leftover food into the trash, and call a plumber in Elmira, NY, to help repair your disposal if large scraps of food trap the blade or crack the canister. Flushing Objects Down the Toilet Children aren’t the only ones who send household items down the toilet. Adults also frequently flush items down the drain without realizing the damage they’ll cause to their plumbing. Certain items should never go down the toilet. Although baby wipes, paper towels, napkins, and diapers may resemble toilet paper, they are not designed to dissolve like toilet paper and will clog your drain. Similarly, small objects like hair, cotton swabs, and dental floss may seem harmless, but over time they’ll get trapped in your pipes and cause clogs and backflow. Connecting Dissimilar Pipes Not all metals are created equal, and they don’t typically mix well unless you use the right equipment. When you connect parts made of steel, for example, with ones made of copper, you need to use the proper coupling in order to prevent corrosion. As any plumber will tell you, connecting certain metals requires a dielectric union, a small, inexpensive part that separates the two metals with a rubber band and plastic sleeve. Overtightening Overtightening the connections between your pipes can be as bad, or worse, as leaving them too loose. While both actions may cause leaks, overtightening can break your plumbing components, leaving them vulnerable to leaks. You want your parts to be secure, but when you tighten them too much, you strip the threads on the screws and bolts, making them useless. Weighing Down Shower Fixtures Especially when shower space is tight, people often hang shower racks on their showerheads to hold their cleaning products and keep their space organized. These racks are great for keeping items off the floor, but when they’re packed with heavy shampoos and bathing products, they weigh down the showerhead. Over time even sturdy showerheads may break under the added pressure. If this happens, you’ll have to replace the showerhead, and you may need to call a professional plumber to repair the damage. Poor Reassembly It’s easy to pull your plumbing apart. Reassembling it, however, may present a challenge. Many of the parts look similar or fit together in a variety of ways, which is why so many people replace them out of order when working on a repair. To avoid this, take pictures of the parts as you pull them out as a visual reminder of their order. Your memory will serve you better with the help of a digital backup. If you still forget which piece goes first, don’t guess. Look at online guides or call a plumber for help. Everyone makes mistakes, and unfortunately some of those mistakes cause more damage than others. If you’re guilty of one of these common errors, you may be able to repair it yourself. If the damage is serious, however, contact a plumber in Elmira, NY, to make the proper repairs.
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