bueno amigos de Sr. Experto en Plomería, today’s post on the worst things to put down your drain is admittedly a bit self-serving.
Imagina esto: It’s Thanksgiving day (it’s creeping up on us, you know), and you’re just sitting down for a lovely meal with your family. The turkey’s perfectly roasted, and everyone’s enjoying one another’s company (so far). You’ve just buttered one your grammy’s famous parker house rolls and gravied your potatoes. Aunt Fran has just launched into her annual political rant and half the table’s biting their tongue… when your cell phone rings. Who’s calling you?
Well, in our case, it’s very likely to be a customer who’s in near-panic mode because their kitchen sink is completely stopped up and, “There’s nowhere to drain the green beans and our Thanksgiving dinner is nearly ruined and we’ve tried everything and can you please, please, por favor salir y destapar el estúpido desagüe? ¡¿Por favor?!”
OK, OK: Maybe those calls aren’t quite ese dramatic—but we hacer get a lot of emergency calls on holidays. Extra people in the house plus added distractions plus a ton more cooking can easily result in angry plumbing. Now here’s where the self-serving part comes in:
We’d really rather NOT hear from you on Thanksgiving.
We really like you, of course, but we’d 100% rather watch the game and overdose on whipped cream than unclog your kitchen sink. Don’t get us wrong: We’ll send a truck out if you need us. That’s just how we are! But we’re guessing you’d rather not see us that day either.
Entonces, para everyone’s sake, let’s have a quick lesson in the Las peores cosas para tirar por el desagüe. We’re sharing this list with you ahora—several weeks before the holiday season—juuuuust in case you’re ya tengo el hábito de tirar estas cosas por el fregadero.
If you’re putting any of the following down the drain, deténgase.
- Grasa. So, you’ve just fried up a pound of bacon for brunch. Resist every temptation to pour that grease down the drain! Grease coats your pipes and turns into sludge, which traps food debris. Over time, that stuff will build up and completely stop up the works.
- Aceites de cocina, incluyendo mantequilla y margarina. Avoid rinsing cooking oils, salad dressings, butter, margarine, and mayo down the sink. Those products have the same binding effect as grease, and because they’re water-resistant, they will no enjuagar.
- Granos de café. Sí, los posos de café son pequeños, pero pueden crear un gran desastre en las tuberías. Compórtelas o deséchelas, pero no no enjuáguelos por el fregadero.
- Cáscaras de huevo. Many homeowners believe the myth that eggs shells will “sharpen” their garbage disposal blades and help push food debris through pipes. Here’s the truth: Garbage disposals don’t tener las cuchillas y las membranas de la cáscara del huevo tienden a enrollarse alrededor del mecanismo de trituración y dañar la unidad. Incluso si el triturador logra destruir las conchas, esas pequeñas piezas se adherirán a cualquier acumulación de lodo en sus tuberías, lo que contribuirá a las obstrucciones. Una vez más, utilícelos como abono o deséchelos.
- Harina. Know the recipe for glue? Flour + water. Unless you’d purposefully pour Elmer’s down your kitchen sink (¡Eso no es un desafío!), you shouldn’t rinse flour down the drain, either.
- Pasta y arroz. La pasta y el arroz pueden absorber una cantidad sorprendente de agua. Con el tiempo, una pequeña cantidad del material puede expandirse hasta el diámetro de la tubería, creando una presa impresionante.
- cáscaras de patata ¿Sabes cómo harina + agua = pegamento? Lo mismo ocurre con el almidón que se encuentra en las cáscaras de patata.
- Producir pegatinas. Please peel those cute little stickers off your fruit before you wash it. Paper doesn’t dissolve quickly, so those stickers can become accidental contributors to major blockages.
- Huesos de frutas. Why anyone would try to send a peach or plum pit down the drain is a mystery to us, but we’ve seen it many times. Your garbage disposal isn’t meant to grind something like that, and if you send enough of those things down the drain, you’ll definitivamente tener un atasco.
- Cáscaras de cítricos. Seguro que su desagüe huele delicioso cuando tira su triturador de basura en una cáscara de limón o naranja, pero esas cosas pueden contribuir a los bloqueos.
- Toallas de papel y toallitas húmedas. We know what you’re thinking: “Why would someone put a paper towel down the kitchen sink?” We have no idea—but people do it! Paper towels and wet wipes might be marketed as biodegradable, but they take a largo tiempo desintegrarse.
We’ll get you unclogged.
Si se está gestando un desastre de plomería, ¡podemos ayudarlo! Llamanos hoy!
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