5 Funny Noises from Your Plumbing and How to Stop Them
May 11, 2023
1: Leaving hoses connected during winter.
This is a classic plumbing error and unlike holiday lights, hoses can cause damage when left out all year: they can lead to freezing the outdoor faucet or its water supply pipe and cause bursting pipes.
2: Using vent pipes for anything other than venting.
Vent pipes aren’t just there for their bad looks, they not only provide air to drains inside the house, to prevent a suction effect that inhibits drainage; they also get rid of sewer gases that come up from the city’s sewer main. If you cut a hole in your vent inside the house, you’re tapping into an endless supply of your neighborhood’s sewer air.
3. Using too much drain cleaner.
When used correctly, drain cleaners can be effective and relatively safe for drains. When used with incorrectly, they can corrode some drain materials, and they can actually make clogs worse.
4. Pouring chemicals (and other bad stuff) into a septic system.
You must think twice about using chemicals like drain cleaner, chlorine bleach, paint and even anti-bacterial soaps in your septic system. These chemicals kill the essential waste-eating bacteria in the septic tank, and can cause sewage backups into your home.
5: Screwing, nailing or cutting into a wall with hidden plumbing pipes.
Always be careful of hidden wall pipes when doing any kind of screwing or sawing into your drywall.
6: Joining two different metals in piping.
DIY plumbers beware: When dissimilar metals, such as copper and steel, are touching, a process called galvanic action leads to corrosion. Corrosion leads to leaks. Such joints must be made with a dielectric union or other approved fitting.
7: Pouring grease down the kitchen drain.
If you’re in the habit of pouring bacon grease down the kitchen-sink drain, you should stop this immediately. Grease is one of the best things for clogging drains.
8: Putting everything else down the kitchen drain.
Even if you’re not guilty of grease disposal, you might be one of those folks who thinks a garbage disposal in your sink can handle any food waste. Be weary of flour, rice, potato peels (and some other veggie peels) and many fibrous foods such as asparagus and chard because they can quickly clog your drains.
9: Using the toilet as a trash can.
Flushing one improper item down the toilet ultimately can stop up everything in the house. The bottom line is, only human waste and toilet paper should be disposed of in your toilet.
