Plumbing Two Major Mistakes and How to Correct Them
Indoor plumbing dates back–guess when? Most likely you are several hundred years short.
Indoor plumbing dates back to a little civilization called the Indus, who existed during the Bronze age thousands of years before the common era. In a particular period of that civilization, city workers and designers constructed a rudimentary (but not for then) plumbing system that involved toilets and clay piping.
Waste was deposited into the toilets, before being dropped into clay pipes which connected to clay canals all around the cities. The canals were washed every time it rained, which in the fertile Indus region (which was somewhere between Pakistan and China) was often. If it did not rain, this did not stop the population. They simply swept it out themselves.
The plumbing conundrum has been faced with every civilization that stayed in one place, erected buildings, and formed homes for individuals and families to live in, even if these homes were rudimentary like clay houses.
It is not surprising today that we face those very same problems in today’s use of water that the early civilizations in: mostly, to get clean water in, and to get waste water out. Every society struggles with these issues. Today, we have the fortune of modern conveniences.
Modern conveniences mean that the piping laid in our homes is generally not constructed by the homeowner. The plumbing problems that arise are usually not diagnosed, treated, and fixed by the homeowner. And that the wastewater is generally handled by municipalities, who have their own waste water systems.
There are still some problems that homeowners have to know, however, when they deal with plumbing. There are a few basic problems that cause issues with pipe clogging. Here are just two to think about, especially with the approach of winter.
1: Grease and fat build-up
Grease and fat build-up is the deadliest of all clogging issues. Grease, which is poured into the drain either from a cooking pan, a plate, or a general cooking instrument, has a tendency to harden in the pipes, especially during winter. This problem is not easily flexible, as common drain un-clogging devices cannot eat through it.
In the case of grease and fat built-up, if nothing you do works (this is including snaking your own drain), consider calling a plumber to deal with the issue. While it may cost you a couple hundred for the snaking of the drain, or whatever other tool they use, it will benefit you when you have your drain back in order.
In order not to fall prey to this problem, put as little grease down the drain as possible. Try to put none of it. When in doubt, take a small aluminum can that has been drained and put all the grease in it. Put it in the refrigerator and let it harden until you have filled it to its top. Then dispose of it in the trash can.
2: The Clogged Drain
Clogged drains can happen for numerous reasons, including the grease and fat build up. In the case of clogged shower drains, you may have a ball of hair in the pipe. In the case of toilet back-ups, you may have used a type of toilet paper that does not dispose easily. And then there are those pesky disposable wipes.
Disposable wipes can be among the most difficult problems facing a pipe. Pipes are meant to be free flowing structure. Any material that does not decompose easily blocks liquid flow. Disposable wipes may have the promise that they’re disposable but some aren’t. And they can clog a pipe, decomposing so slowly that it just impedes the water flow.
The simplest problem for a clogged drain is just a “snake” you can buy at a local hardware store. There are many to choose from, depending on how big you want the “snake” and how fierce the “snake” will be. Of course, if the problem is beyond your means, just consider calling plumbing services.
Plumbing services come in a wide variety, from snaking a drain, to putting in video, to other plumbing needs. Plumbing services can be found in the yellow pages, on Google, through a referral, or other source. Plumbing services are there so you won’t have a clogged drain throughout winter.