Home plumbing is an essential system in your household. It gives you access to clean and potable water. Without it, it would be inconvenient to live in a property. Not having a clean source of water can also cause health issues in your home. Interestingly, as home plumbing improves alongside the developments in technology, there are several plumbing myths that may cause homeowner plumbing troubles. Inexperienced homeowners should try to avoid addressing plumbing issues, whether they are considered myths or not.
To burst your bubble and to give you knowledge on which plumbing myths have no merit, here are top 4 of the plumbing myths, debunked by this article for you.
Toilets Flush on the Opposite Direction in Australia
One of the popular myths when it comes to plumbing is that your location on the globe affects how your drain empties. According to belief, when you are located south of the equator, just like Australia, your drains empty counter clockwise instead of clockwise.
The idea of this myth came from the phenomena known as the Coriolis Effect. This phenomena explains how cyclones rotate. Cyclones that occur north of the Equator move in a clockwise direction while cyclones that occur south of the Equator move counter clockwise. However, this is not true for home plumbing. The direction of how your drain is emptied is parallel to the flow of the water and not your location. The direction your toilet drains is determined by the jets.
Water Heater Explodes When It Rumbles
Water heaters are designed to be safe and will most likely not going to explode. However, when you begin to notice a rumbling sound while it works, your tank might be in need of some cleaning. The sound is usually due to the excessive buildup of sediments inside the tank. The sound comes from the steam bubbles that rise through the sediment. When you begin to hear your water heaters rumble, call a local plumber to have it professionally cleaned. Not doing so may cause them to prematurely fail.
Ice Cubes Sharpen the Blades of Your Garbage Disposal
According to local plumber Croydon experts, the sharpness of your garbage disposal blades are not improved when you place ice cubes down the drain. Ideally, the thought is also hard to imagine but it managed to convince some homeowners that it is actually true and beneficial for garbage disposal systems.
However, this myth is indeed a myth and has no basis. In fact, garbage disposals do not have blades. They have teeth-like features that grind solids into liquid while the unit spins. These teeth-like features are called impellers. Some people also recommend using ice cubes in cleaning the garbage disposal. This is also a myth. You can clean your garbage disposal with tap or hot water.
Flushing the Toilet Simultaneously in a Skyscraper Will Destroy It
Skyscrapers have more complicated plumbing systems compared to a residential home. However, they are designed by engineers that have already accounted for the possibility of having all the toilets flushed all at the same time. Buildings are designed to withstand such events. Also, in a huge building, there are several plumbing systems that allow several areas to function while one area is under repair. Building plumbing systems are designed in such a way that a single issue will not affect the rest of the plumbing system of the building. Thus, failure during simultaneous toilet flushing is not possible.
The next time you hear about a certain plumbing myth, it would be best to ask a licensed and trained plumber instead. They are equipped with the experience and knowledge that give them credibility on confirming whether a plumbing phenomenon is indeed a myth or a fact.
