The actions you take in the shower and the kitchen really can impact your home plumbing system. Even a seemingly minor action taken when enjoying a hot shower has the potential to alter the functionality of your Boca Raton plumbing. However, you will have no idea you are damaging your home plumbing system unless you are aware of your destructive habits in the shower, kitchen, and beyond. Let’s take a quick look at some common habits that have the potential to impact your home plumbing as well as your home and yourself.
1) Not Minding Your Loofah
Though most people are inclined to leave their loofah in the shower, this supposedly harmless action has the potential to backfire in a big way. Loofahs will gradually break apart if used for an extended period of time. This gradual breakdown is especially true for sponge loofahs. If you notice your loofah is beginning to fall apart, buy a new one. Otherwise, you will end up with little bits of the loofah material jamming the shower drain below.
The shower’s moist and hot environment serves as a breeding ground for bacteria. The last thing you want to do is rub your loofah on your skin and spread bacteria across your body when the purpose of showering is to clean yourself. Remove the loofah from the shower after you turn off the water. Wring the loofah dry and put it by an open window until the next use.
2) Letting Hair Go Down into the Drain
It is a grave mistake to let hair buildup in the pipes. If enough hair accumulates below, it will create a blockage. This buildup of hair will make it difficult for the drain to run as quickly as it should. The worst-case scenario is hair buildup to the point that the drain is blocked. Be sure to use a drain cover or another type of drain stop. It will also help to collect the hair as it accumulates so there is no chance of it moving down below and causing a clog.
3) Being Careless about the Items You Put in the Garbage Disposal
Garbage disposals make life that much more convenient, yet these machines have the potential to prove problematic, especially in homes with young children. Make sure everyone in your home knows there is the potential for congealed fat to buildup within the garbage disposal. If the wrong items are put in the garbage disposal, it is only a matter of time until Boca Raton drain cleaning will be necessary. Never put paper, metal, glass, cigarette butts, onion skins, corn stalks, coffee grounds or expendable foods such as pasta in the garbage disposal. Let the cold water run as you put food in the disposal to solidify the food’s oil and facilitate food particle breakdown. Otherwise, the food will likely stick to the pipe interior and necessitate assistance from our professional Boca Raton plumbers.
4) Ignoring Hard Water
Hard water is an irritant to the skin yet it also has the potential to collect and prevent water from moving through your shower head nozzles. Take a look at your showerhead nozzle and you might find a flaky, dry residue. This residue is a telltale sign of hard water in your home. Do not ignore this residue! Our Boca Raton plumbers are here to help you combat hard water with water softeners and other solutions to ensure the water flows freely each time you take a shower.
5) Not Cleaning up the Water That Makes It to the Floor
Though a bit of water is likely to end up on the floor outside of the shower basin, the leftover moisture should be wiped dry. Take a close look at the floor around the bathtub after bathing. Use a towel or shower mat to soak up any water that ends up outside the tub. Otherwise, the water will likely harm the grout, cause floor warping, and possibly even lead to the growth of nasty mold in your Boca Raton plumbing system and beyond.
6) Tossing Fat or Grease Down the Drain
Instead of rinsing off pots and pans that contain fat, grease and oils, and letting this gunk go down the drain, collect it in a small container. Dump the container’s contents in the trash can as opposed to your sink or garbage disposal. Otherwise, grease, fat, and oils will eventually clog up your Boca Raton plumbing system and necessitate pipe repair or replacement.
If you or someone in your house absentmindedly throw grease, fat or other gunk down the drain, our Boca Raton plumbers can help. Give us a call at (561) 782-2779 and we will be over as soon as possible to tend to your clogged pipe or other plumbing problem.
