Plumbing work and other needed maintenance gets expensive. But paying for fixing damages that need not have been there in the first place is an unexpected hit to the budget. If you’re looking to avoid issues with plumbing in the future, here are best practices for your kitchen pipes in particular!
GET A GARBAGE DISPOSAL
Too often, when people don’t want their unsavory substances stinking up the garbage can, they’ll throw it down the sink. Having an effective, working garbage disposal is a great method to avoid clogging up your kitchen pipes in the process, especially if you use it correctly. With a garbage disposal, you can scrape food down the drain and then turn on the disposer to cut down the pieces into bits that won’t stick in pipes. Make sure you aren’t putting some things down your disposal, however—like large bones, grease, fruit and vegetable skins, pasta or rice, or coffee beans, to name a few.
INSTALL A GREASE TRAP
One of the reasons you shouldn’t pour grease down a garbage disposal is that it can’t break up the grease the same way, leaving your kitchen pipes and later sewer lines to clog with the substance. Grease traps are subject to buildup that can cause hazards for your home, however, and so prevent the clogs and damages that would otherwise follow from a grease buildup. The trap acts to separate the grease from the water through multiple baffled chambers, catching it as it floats to the surface while the water continues on. To keep this system going smoothly, however, every couple of months it’s best to pull out the trap and clean it thoroughly!
BUY A SINK STRAINER
The previous methods work well to break down what already goes down your kitchen drain—but avoiding letting big particles end up down there in the first place will really make a difference. A sink strainer can trap most things bigger than its own small holes from getting through, which also keeps silverware and other damaging materials from ending up in a garbage disposal and breaking that system. Though it won’t strain grease, getting a sink strainer still is a great step in keeping the accidental fragments of waste from doing damage to your kitchen pipes.
Plumbing problems are a hassle to take care of, so it’s no wonder people want to avoid them. To keep your kitchen pipes clean, you can make a few additions to protect your plumbing. Your pipes and your wallet will thank you!
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