• Animals Entering Through Toilet: Contrary to popular belief, animals like rats and snakes can indeed enter homes through toilets, albeit rarely.
• Flushable Baby Wipes: Despite being labeled as “flushable,” these wipes can cause significant pipe clogs as they don’t disintegrate quickly enough, similar to non-flushable wipes.
• Toilet Tank Brick: Placing a brick in your toilet tank to save water is ineffective and can damage the toilet over time, ultimately leading to increased water usage due to displacement.
• Boiling Water for Grease: Pouring boiling water down pipes to eliminate grease is a myth. Instead, it can solidify the grease, exacerbating clogs over time.
• Leaky Tap Concerns: A leaky tap may seem minor, but it can waste a significant amount of water and lead to increased utility bills if left unaddressed.
• Showering During a Storm: Showering during a storm poses a potential risk as electricity can travel through pipes, increasing the chance of lightning-related accidents.
• Water Heater Noises: Loud gurgling noises from a water heater are typically caused by sediment blockage and are unlikely to lead to an explosion. However, it’s advisable to have a plumber inspect the heater if concerned.
• Plunger Usage: Using a plunger on a sink after applying chemical drain cleaner is ill-advised, as it may splash and cause skin damage by pulling out the cleaner from the sink.

 

To the uninitiated, plumbing can seem less like a trade and more like witchcraft, which goes a long way to explaining why there are so many different plumbing myths out there. But don’t worry, we’re here to help with all that.

Today, we’re going to be debunking eight of the most common plumbing myths, separating fact from fantasy.

1. Animals can’t enter your home through your toilet

Yep, that’s right, animals can enter your home through your toilet. Of course, this is still something of a rarity, but rats and snakes (admittedly, not in the UK) have been known to scurry and slither up toilet bowls and into homes, so beware!

2. Flushable baby wipes are indeed flushable

Nope, sorry. If you regularly use and flush these “flushable” wipes, you will end up causing nearly as much damage as you would with the unflushable ones.

This is because you’re not giving the wipes enough time to disintegrate in the pipes, meaning they will stack up and eventually clog.

3. Putting a brick in your toilet tank can help you save water

We’re not sure who came up with this one, but whoever you are – you’re wrong. The idea is that a brick in the tank will force the toilet to use less water when flushing, but this isn’t the case.

Not only will a brick erode over time and cause damage to the toilet, it will in fact make the toilet use more water due to displacement.

4. Pouring boiling water down your pipes can eliminate grease

Sounds like it might work, but trust us, it doesn’t.

Boiling water will actually only serve to harden the grease in the long run, making it even more difficult to remove.

5. A leaky tap isn’t cause for concern

Wrong. A leaky tap can, if left for long enough, actually cost you a huge amount of money.

The average leakage rate per tap is around 10,000 litres globally. That’s around 270 loads of laundry, give or take.

6. It’s safe to take a shower during a storm

We certainly wouldn’t recommend it. Given that electricity can travel through pipes in a home and both metal and water conduct electricity, lightning could, in theory, get to you in the shower.

7. A water heater that’s making loud gurgling noises might explode!

Unlikely. These sorts of sounds tend to be caused by air popping due to sediment blocking the burner in the water tank.

This shouldn’t be a problem, but if you’re concerned, you can always call your local plumber and they can take a look for you.

8. You can use a plunger to unclog a sink

False. If you are using a chemical-based drain cleaner to try and clear a clog, you definitely shouldn’t be using a plunger on the sink as well.

This is because the plunger could well pull some of the drain cleaner out of the sink, splashing and damaging your skin.

Here at Around The Bend Plumbing, we pride ourselves on delivering professional and reliable plumbing services at competitive prices for all of our customers in Hailsham, Hastings, Heathfield, Brighton, Eastbourne, and Worthing.  Around the Bend Plumbing also offer a comprehensive range of plumbing services including, kitchen plumbing, bathroom plumbing, toilet & sink unblocking, radiator plumbing, plumbing repairs,  fixing burst pipes and leaks & central heating services. If you’re having problems with your plumbing, get in touch with a friendly member of our team today and we’ll make sure your issue is remedied as quickly as possible.