Written by Paul Mc
About 1 in 60 insured homes makes a claim for water or freezing damage each year. And that’s mainly because of the poorly planned, or outdated plumbing system. Many homeowners fail to recognize these problems sooner, resulting in plumbing disasters that lead to expensive repairs.
If you own a home, here are common plumbing mistakes homeowners make so you can avoid them and save yourself from hefty maintenance and repair costs.
Avoid these mistakes to save your plumbing system and spending on repair costs.
Harsh chemical drain cleaners may create instant magic. But they are one of the fastest ways to reduce the lifespan of the pipes and seals.
That’s because they’re made to be extremely corrosive in nature. These cleaners tend to work immediately. But when it comes to deeper plumbing problems, they just act like a Band-Aid.
So, instead of using these cleaners, the best thing to do is have a plumber clean your drain once.
You can also try a DIY method that includes mixing baking soda and white vinegar or a hot water and soap solution and using it to clean your plumbing system. However, these solutions are not as strong as commercial chemicals and may only reduce mild residue and gunk. It will not dissolve hair, grease, or solid obstructions.
Having a plumber drain-snake (auger) or hydro-jet the lines removes the actual root cause such as hair, soap scum, grease, or roots, which physically restores the full diameter of the pipe without damaging the plumbing.
If you want your plumbing system to stay clog free, stop dumping grease, food oils, fat based food remains into the sink drain.
It may seem easy to wash it all down the drain.
However, the fat and grease can clog your drain badly enough to force you to call a plumber. That’s where it turns into a war between plumbing emergency vs regular service because your clogged drain makes it impossible to use.
Always let cooking grease cool, then scrape it into a disposable container and throw it in the trash. For more tips on managing household waste safely, check out the EPA’s Guide on Fats, Oils, and Grease.
It is common to believe that when it comes to preventing water leaks, the tighter a connection is, the better.
However, this mindset is wrong. It can crack a fixture or strip a thread.
Modern plumbing systems utilize a variety of materials, including brass, copper, PVC, and plastic supply lines. When you overtighten a metal fitting onto a plastic thread, the metal will easily slice through or crack the softer plastic.
Similarly, if you crank down too hard on a slip-nut beneath a sink, you can warp the rubber washer designed to create the seal. Once that washer is distorted, it ceases to be watertight. This ends up creating the exact leak you were trying to prevent.
What’s worse is that over-tightened pipe threads can develop hairline fractures that don’t leak immediately. But they can easily fail suddenly under pressure, weeks later, when you may not be at home.
Many homeowners swap the valves out without turning off the water supply.
Water pressure in a residential home typically sits anywhere between 45 and 60 PSI. This is more than enough force for water to start to spray out with significant force, the threads will get soaked and become slippery, and might start flooding nearby areas, causing you to panic.
A pressurized water line can pump gallons of water into your vanity, to your flooring, and down into the rooms.
To avoid this, before you turn a single tap on any pressurized line, locate the local shut-off valve. This is usually present beneath the fixture.
If that valve is old or frozen, you should locate the main water shut-off valve for the entire house. When found, verify that the water is completely off by opening the lowest faucet in the home to drain the residual system pressure.
A slow drain is often ignored because it feels more like a nuisance than a problem.
If water is draining slowly, something is narrowing the pathway like a block. And once narrowing starts, it tends to get worse because buildup catches more buildup.
It shouldn’t be taken lightly. You should notice the pattern instead.
Is it always slow, or only sometimes? Does it happen after running the dishwasher or washing machine? Get answers to these questions.
You should also pay attention to multiple fixtures. More than one slow drain often points to a larger issue in the plumbing system. In that case, evaluate whether it’s a plumbing emergency vs regular service situation and take action as required.
You shouldn’t use your toilet as your disposal system.
When non-dissolving materials enter the line, they get stuck at bends and joints. Then they catch other waste and create bigger clogs. The culprits that cause this issue usually include wipes, feminine products, and cotton balls.
So, what should you do to avoid this? You should only flush toilet paper and human waste.
If you often face your toilet clogging, don’t blame the toilet first. It can be a sign of a developing blockage deeper in the plumbing. In that case, call a reputable plumber to find the root cause and fix the problem.
Thread sealants fill the microscopic gaps between male and female tapered pipe threads.
However, homeowners frequently misuse them. They either use them too much or use them where they don’t belong.
Teflon tape should be wrapped in the correct direction. The direction should be clockwise as you face the open end of the pipe. If you wrap it counter-clockwise, the tape will unspool and bunch up as you thread the fitting on. This will completely ruin the seal.
You should never use thread sealants on compression fittings or flared joints. Compression fittings rely on a brass sleeve or a rubber washer being compressed into a matching seat to block water. Adding tape to these threads actually prevents the nut from tightening down far enough to compress the washer properly. This causes a persistent leak.
Plumbing problems can halt your daily routine. So, there is no way you can sit quietly and see them getting worse.
Call the best plumbers near you listed on Expert on Deck today to make repairs accordingly.
From fixing your toilets to managing a proper water flow through your pipes, our vetted plumbers will do it all at affordable rates.
Book an appointment today to make your plumbing system run as smoothly as possible.
Chemical drain cleaners rely on exothermic reactions using caustic lye or sulfuric acid that generate intense heat, which degrades PVC, corrodes metal pipes, and melts rubber gaskets. Repeated chemical applications erode pipe walls and turn minor clogs into structural leaks.
Disposal units are designed solely for soft food scraps rinsed with cold water to keep the motor cool and solidify trace fats for chopping. Starchy, fibrous, or dense items like potato peels, celery, eggshells, and coffee grounds wrap around impellers or form heavy pastes that plug downstream drain lines.
Excessive torque crushes delicate rubber washers and O-rings, forcing them out of alignment and stripping plastic or brass pipe threads. Once the mechanical seal deforms or the threading cracks under pressure, water escapes along the newly compromised joint.
Drop-in tank tablets continuously release concentrated chlorine or bleach into sitting water, which rapidly breaks down flexible rubber flappers, fill valve diaphragms, and plastic gaskets. This chemical degradation destroys watertight seals, leading to persistent internal leaks and constantly running toilets.
Hot water merely washes liquid fats further down the plumbing stack, where they cool, solidify, and adhere to pipe walls. Data from an Environmental Protection Agency study shows that fats, oils, and grease cause nearly half of all sewer line blockages.
