Home Remedies for Your Plumbing

Toilet tank cleaners:

We have all seen those cool little blue things that we hang in our toilet tank that make the water blue. Well honestly, what is it that they do? The water that goes into your toilet is clean water, the same water that you drink out of the sink. So they obviously don't clean your toilet, since your toilet is filled with chlorinated water already. The truth is, they are a toilet nightmare. When you flush the stool, there are little jets where the water comes through at a pushes the waste down the drain.

Well, that blue stuff actually clogs those jets and will cause your toilet to not flush everything down. The process of cleaning those jets is very tedious and the bill to have it fixed will generally come to be about the same amount as buying and installing a new stool. This is no joke. If you want to put something in your tank to keep mineral deposits from building up in your stool, invest in a product called Santeen. It is a fairly dangerous chemical though and should be kept away from any reach of children.

What you do with this chemical is first take off the lid to the tank, then pour about a cap full down the overflow drain. Wait about five minutes and then flush the stool. After flushing it, flush again. Another good tip is, when using this stuff, open a window to vent out the room because it will stink and it is not good to breathe.

Keep the extra items out of the drains:

No customer ever wants to hear that their $150 drain problem was because they flush condoms or tampons down the stool. But a plumber will always tell you what the problem is because they do not enjoy pulling them out, for obvious reasons. Believe it or not, a service plumber comes across these problems at least 1-2 times per day. So instead of making a list of what you cannot put down a stool, here is a list of what you can:

• Toilet Paper
• Human waste
• Water
• Rock salt
• Chemicals for drains

That is it, nothing else should go, period. This includes baby wipes to all of you mothers out there. The reason is, baby wipes are a tougher material then toilet paper. Toilet paper breaks down while being flushed and is not strong enough to clog a line. It will basically just go with the flow. Baby wipes are a tougher, heavier material that will hang up inside your toilets and lines. There is no exception to this rule, if you flush wipes, eventually you will have a clog. I guarantee it.

Summary:

So now you have an idea of how your sewer system works, how to keep it clean and what not to flush. The key is commit to these or they will not work. If you do have to call a plumber, ask questions, and make him explain to you what he is doing. Don't worry about bothering him, this is your home. He is there to fix the problem and customer service is a big part of his job.

So take care of your drains and they will work long and hard for you.