How to Care for Your Sewer and Toilets

How to Care for Your Sewer and Toilets

Sewer and toilet issues can be both frustrating and expensive.  Here are a few routine maintenance and common sense do’s and don’ts tips that your sewer lines and toilets will thank you for.

– Your Sink is Not a Garbage Can:  Even if you have a garbage disposal, experts recommend using it sparingly.  Contrary to popular belief, grinding food up and sending it down the drain is pretty much a guarantee for clogged lines.  Food items like eggshells, pasta, rice, potatoes and fibrous vegetables are the worst.  And don’t even think about pouring grease down your sink.  Even if you flush it with hot water, it will eventually cool somewhere along the lines.  And cold grease is sticky and anything that comes after it will stick to it and restrict water flow.

– Your Toilet is Not a Garbage Can: Human waste and toilet paper are the only items that should go in your toilet.  There really should be no exceptions to this rule.  Anything else will create a potential clogging issue.

– Inspect Your Toilet: Experts recommend you inspect the inner workings of your toilet every six months or so.  Take the tank cover off and flush your toilet to make sure all components are working well and that there are no leaks.

– Clean Your Toilet:  While this seems obvious for sanitary reasons, cleaning your toilet also gives you an opportunity to be on the look out for leaks around the base of the toilet and water lines.  

– Sewer Line Inspection:  Invest in having a professional plumber do a periodic inspection of your entire sewer line system.  Be sure to choose a company such as Solutions Mechanical that has sewer camera inspection capabilities.

– Be Gentle:  Avoid the use of harsh chemicals for getting rid of clogs.  They are hard on your pipes and introduce those same harsh chemicals into the environment.  As an alternative, we found an excellent article from The Spruce that gives excellent tips on how to use baking soda and vinegar to periodically clean sewage lines.  Read the entire article here: https://www.thespruce.com/freshen-and-unclog-drain-with-baking-soda-1900466

By following these simple tips, you should enjoy trouble free service from your sewer lines and toilets.  Please be sure to read the articles noted below for more helpful information.

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Sources:

https://www.plumbtimesc.com/7-amazing-tips-for-sewer-and-drainage-line-cleaning/

https://theplumber.com/10-tips-for-preventing-toilet-troubles/

https://pipespies.com/how-to-maintain-a-sewer-line/

https://www.thespruce.com/freshen-and-unclog-drain-with-baking-soda-1900466

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