Did you know that the plumbing and drain system that runs through your house or apartment was only designed to process liquids. Unfortunately, many people are not aware of this fact and have gotten used to using their systems as a household garbage disposal system.
A friend of mine ‘Jim’ works as a plumber in east London for Aquatek plumbing says you would be astonished what people flush down the drain, expecting it not to catch up on them. His advice to avoid much larger problem in the future is to become much more vigilant about what does and more importantly doesn’t go down your drain.
Here are a list of things that people think are innocuous and would never cause a problem with their plumbing if they flush them
#1 Kitty Litter
Kitty litter is known to cause massive issues with septic systems, clogging drains and resulting in expensive repairs. This problem has increased significantly since many manufacturers have begun to advertise their Kitty Litter as “flushable”. On top of clogging your drains, your kitty litter is full of harmful bacteria from your cats feces. Research has shown that it is resistant to the chemicals commonly used to clean drains, it easily ends up in the water supply and is extremely harmful to wildlife, sea otters are particularly vulnerable to this bacteria.
#2. Crushed Eggshells
On their own, eggshells appear harmless to most people, but when people flush them down the drain they attach themselves to fat, oil and other greasy substances that they encounter in the drainage system, this can cause a thick mass and easily end up clogging your drain. Eggshells belong in the trash can or compost heap.
#3 Fat, oil and grease
When you combine these three substances, you form the core of most plumbers’ kitchen woes. They combine to create a binder that acts as a catchall for other things flushed down the drain, such as the eggshells mentioned earlier. Creating sticky globs that coat your pipes building up until nothing can get past. Nearly 50% of all sewage problems in the UK last year were caused by a combination of these three. Meat fat, bacon grease and their like should never be poured down the sink. Set them aside, allow them to cool, you can either store them in a jar and use them to feed the birds in winter or throw it in the garbage.
#4 Coffee grounds
Just because coffee grounds are incredibly small, this doesn’t mean they will not stick around your pipes, this is simply not the case. Plumbers will inform you that they are easily one of the most typical sources of clogs in kitchen pipes today. There are many other uses for coffee grounds, that means you don’t have to dump them.
#5 Cotton Balls and Paper Towels
In theory, paper and cotton are biodegradable, but this does not mean it will happen overnight. They are also two of the most absorbent materials in any house. They can create the perfect storm in your pipes, leading to blockages all the time. Best advice on the paper towel front is to stop utilizing them altogether, vast quantities are used in UK kitchens everyday of the week. Cloth towels are far more environmentally friendly and cheaper in the long run. Cotton balls can be thrown in the garbage.