3 Most Dangerous Household Plumbing Mistakes
Flushing Inappropriate Items Down the Toilet
Flushing items other than human waste down the toilet is just asking for a disaster. You might not see the results at first, but anything you flush — be it toys, tweezers, or grandpa’s old dentures — can stay in your toilet, collect debris and create a massive, pipe-blocking, clog.
Even if you manage to push the clog out of the toilet with a plunger, you might have made the problem even worse.
The item has the potential to make it into the sewage pipe and create a block there, causing water and maybe even human waste to come back out of your toilet and all over your bathroom floor!
Save yourself the time, hassle, and money you’ll be spending on a plumbing bill: Don’t flush inappropriate items down the toilet.
Stripping Threads on Pipes or Appliances
Stop! Don’t crank that wrench! Many amateur or DIY plumbers make the mistake of cranking the connections to pipes or appliances as tight as they will go.
This is a huge mistake, and potentially very dangerous and costly. Tightening fixtures too much can cause the threads to strip, resulting in anything from a small leak to a broken pipe uncontrollably spraying water. Go easy on those threads and they’ll last a lot longer and have a much more secure hold.
Turning the Water Heater on Before It’s Ready
When homeowners go on vacation or leave their homes for extended periods, it is wise to turn off the water heater before leaving. Why? It could prevent many unwanted occurrences, such as water leaks, gas leaks, or even a high electric bill.
But when you return home it is extremely important to follow the right steps when turning your water heater back on.
Turn the water flow back on, wait until the water heater is full of water, then remove the air bubbles by letting some water run out.
Do this all before turning the heater back on. If the water heater is turned on before it is properly filled with water, it can burn up and potentially ruin the entire unit.
Taking a nice refreshing shower after a long vacation is a wonderful feeling, but make sure to follow the appropriate steps first to avoid sacrificing your water heater and your pocket book by rushing into getting comfortable.
Don’t get mixed up in a serious plumbing issue in your West Covina home. Call Daniel Cordova Plumbing, Drain & Sewer at (626) 962-0885 today, and have the professionals clean up that mess.