Here’s the Plumbing “Fixes” Homeowners Should Stop Believing

Sure, it makes total sense that you want to be as cost-effective as possible when it comes to repairing your plumbing and leaky pipes. Having to hire a plumber is expensive, and sometimes, you have to wait days or even weeks to get them to your home to even look at the problem. And you can probably agree here that plumbing problems have a way of making people want to fix them immediately, which is fair. 

Like, it can be a slow drain, a clogged sink, a weird garbage disposal sound, or water that isn’t going down properly can make the whole kitchen or bathroom feel irritating fast. Theres tutorials out there, there’s more than enough “tools” you can buy at the hardware store or even on Amazon, so this should be a quick fix, right? Well, bluntly put here, some common plumbing fixes aren’t always as helpful as they seem. But which ones exactly?

Hot Water and Dish Soap Don’t Fix Every Grease Clog

This is one of those tips that sounds like it should work. And this piece of advice has been getting passed around for decades, specifically, people swear up and down by Dawn dish soap. But just keep in mind here that grease is messy, dish soap cuts through grease, and hot water melts it, so it feels like the perfect solution, but it’s not always like that. Yes, even with Dawn dish soap and boiling hot water, it’s not always going to fix this.

The problem is that grease doesn’t always leave the pipes just because it goes out of sight. Hot water can move it farther down the drain, but once it cools, the grease can harden again. So now the clog may be sitting deeper in the plumbing, which is even more frustrating than dealing with it near the sink. A better habit is keeping grease out of the drain as much as possible. As in, you should wipe greasy pans with a paper towel first, toss grease in the trash once it cools, and try not to treat the kitchen sink like it’s built to handle everything. It really isn’t. 

Seriously, don’t let grease around the drains.

Drain Cleaner isn’t Always the Safest Shortcut

Well, this piggybacks on what was being said above, since so many people want to DIY fixing their drains and pipes. And, well, chemical drain cleaner is popular because it feels easy. All you do is pour it in, wait, rinse, and hopefully the clog is gone. But with that said, harsh drain cleaners can be rough on pipes, especially if they’re used often or if the plumbing is older. 

You’re honestly better off just getting a plumber from Bluefrog Plumbing because they can safely fix the problem, rather than you risking corroding your pipes (which is going to be so expensive to fix).

Drain Snakes aren’t Always Harmless

Well, if chemicals aren’t safe for the pipes, then this should be a pretty safe option, right? Well, it makes total sense to immediately assume that drain snakes are harmless, but no, that’s not really true here. Well, for small clogs, like some hair, they’re fine, you should get one for that, but for deep clogs, no, it’s honestly a terrible idea.