Plumbing Lore: What's True and What's Not?

HomeBlogPlumbing Lore: What’s True and What’s Not?

There are plenty of ideas and myths associated with plumbing that have been talked about for years. Some have even been around for decades! It is time to fact check some of the supposed plumbing “facts” that we have all heard about.

Plumbing Lore: What's True and What's Not?

  • Putting a brick in the toilet tank will save water– False! This can also negatively impact the way your toilet flushes, as it was designed to flush with a certain amount of water. A low-flush toilet is a better way to help conserve water.
  • You can flush wet wipes as long as they are “flushable”- Just because something claims to be flushable doesn’t mean there won’t be potential negative consequences to your plumbing if you do flush it. Wet wipes take a long time to disintegrate, and especially if multiple wipes are used in a day, they can very easily create a clog. The best practice is to only flush toilet paper. It really isn’t worth the risk to flush anything else.
  • Hot water will help grease go down the drain safely– Nope, that’s not true either. Grease will cool eventually and coat your pipes. Over time, this can lead to a gnarly clog in your plumbing. Simply use paper towels to soak up the grease and throw them away in the trash can.
  • Bleach tablets in the toilet bowl are helpful– You would think bleaching your toilet bowl would be a good thing, but keeping a bleach tablet constantly in your bowl can cause corrosion over time. If using bleach, just use it at the time of cleaning. Don’t allow it to sit in your bowl long-term.
  • A leaky faucet wastes a lot of water– This one is true! Even the smallest drip can amount to wasting several gallons a week. A more substantial leak will obviously waste more. Fixing those smaller leaks really does matter, so don’t put off fixing them any longer.
  • The average person will spend about three years of their life on the toilet– Yes, this one is true too. Every day, every person, multiple times a day will use the bathroom. It is strange to think how that time adds up over an entire lifespan!

Hopefully you learned something valuable that can help you avoid issues with your plumbing in the future. If you have issues because you thought some of these supposed plumbing hacks were true, please reach out to us at Wake Forest Plumbing Company, and we can help make things right.