Crazy Things Your Plumber Wished You Didn’t Throw Down the Drain

In a world of modern conveniences, it is easy to believe that drains, garbage disposals and toilets are capable of consuming any waste and transporting it to the big septic tank in the sky. However, All plumbing fixtures are subject to the laws of physics and the basics of volume and liquid flow dynamics.

If something fits in a drain, it does not automatically follow that it will fit in your plumbing. Most people would be astonished at how many yards of pipes are installed between their drains and their main sewer lines. Here are some things your neighborhood affordable plumber would prefer you avoid trying to dispose of using your drains and toilets.

Paper Towels

The exact same manufacturing process that makes paper towels resilient enough to survive television commercial demonstrations makes them nearly indestructible barriers inside plastic or metal pipes. Not only do they plug the narrow openings well, but they act as magnets for every other solid or semi-solid material that passes by, especially hair.

Toilet paper, on the other hand, is designed to dissolve in solution, which is why the former will back up your plumbing system and the latter (if used within reason) will not.

Anything that can Support Weight

Let’s consider the ubiquitous Q-tip. One at a time, they are probably harmless. But once one of them finds a way to get lodged in a pipe, they become the anchors upon which everything else you flush down the toilet or drain attaches. The best plumbers in Rancho Cucamonga know the ultimate one-two punch that will knock your plumbing system unconscious is a Q-tip (or anything similar) followed by one or more paper towels. You may as well glue them all together before you flush.

Anything that Doesn’t Float

Even inside your pipes, solid objects are subject to gravity. At any location where pressure forces water in a direction opposite gravity, objects that are heavy enough to sink in water are likely to accumulate. This is why the bend at the base of your kitchen sink pipe is one of the most common places for a clog.

You never want to put anything in your pipes that doesn’t float, because gravity will force it to stop moving at the same location where all other such objects stopped moving, and that will create a rather expensive blockage.

Dangerous Chemicals

Anything that is dangerous in the open air can become positively lethal when trapped in a water pipe. This is something your Rancho Cucamonga plumber knows well.

Most household chemicals are not hazardous when mixed with water, but the ones that are can create explosive, fire and poison hazards that can persist for hours, days or even longer. You should think twice before pouring anything but water, soap or edibles into a drain. Not only can such chemicals damage your pipes, they can rapidly build up and become dangerous for anyone near the sink or toilet.

As convenient as it would be to have a universal disposal appliance, when it comes to discarding trash or other inadvisable objects or chemicals in drains and toilets, the best advice is to avoid doing so altogether.