For many people, the kitchen is the heart of the home. Accordingly, kitchen plumbing problems inconvenience almost everyone in a home. From blocked sinks to leaky pipes and malfunctioning garbage disposals, the issues can be a headache. While these problems can be due to several factors, including improper plumbing fixture installations, they can also be due to how you use your kitchen plumbing fixtures and appliances.

Essentially, your kitchen habits may be sabotaging the performance of your kitchen plumbing. This article breaks down some standard kitchen plumbing rules that can help avoid kitchen inconveniences while keeping your kitchen fixtures and appliances in the best condition. Here is a list of the do’s and don’ts.

Kitchen Plumbing Do’s

  1. Run cold water at high pressure when using your garbage disposal. Running water at full pressure flushes food waste down the drain, ensuring you do not have a clogged garbage disposal. Unlike hot water, cold water keeps the grease and fat solid; hence doesn’t flow further down the plumbing system to cause later problems, including blockages. Essentially, there are no food buildups in the garbage disposal system.
  2. Regularly run your garbage disposal. Even when not disposing of food, regularly running your garbage disposal ensures there is no lingering food waste in the disposal system; hence there are no buildups or blockages. You should consider using a couple of drops of dish soap to loosen any food waste that is stuck or has started to build up.
  3. Use a probiotic drain cleaner on your kitchen piping. A probiotic cleaner is an environment-friendly product that cleans your pipes while protecting the environment. Typically, the natural bacteria and microorganisms in the probiotic cleaner consume any food waste buildups, including organic matters likely to block your pipes.
  4. Clean aerators on all faucets. The water in your home often contains chemicals and minerals that can build up over time and clog the faucet holes causing uneven water flow. The buildup can also affect the taste of water or make it unfit for consumption. Accordingly, you should clean your faucets, including the aerators, in all your faucets, not just the kitchen.
  5. Put ice in your garbage disposal. While the sound of ice swirling in the garbage disposal can be unpleasant, the process helps sharpen the blades. Sharper blades make garbage disposal more efficient.
  6. Regularly service your dishwasher. You can avoid more significant plumbing issues through routine cleaning and maintenance of your dishwasher. Regular servicing includes cleaning the filter basket of food waste on your dishwasher. Servicing your dishwasher ensures it runs smoothly, avoiding issues like slow draining and not cleaning dishes thoroughly.
  7. Remove sediments from your water heater’s drain. Regularly open and clean your water heater’s drain, preferably after every six months. Residue sediments can affect the performance of your heater or even damage it.
  8. Always have your plumber’s contact details with you. Despite being careful and observing all the kitchen plumbing rules, you cannot avoid kitchen plumbing emergencies entirely. While you can fix some issues, some can be too complex, requiring a qualified plumbing technician. You should consider having your plumber’s phone number to call in case of kitchen plumbing emergencies.

Kitchen Plumbing Don’ts

  1. Don’t pour cooking oil, fat, or grease into your sink. Disposing of cooking oil, fat, or grease through the kitchen sink after cleaning up is tempting. While it seems easy, it often leads to more significant issues later as the cooking oil or fat hardens and clogs your pipes and drains. This can cause sewage overflows or backups, which often require costly repairs.
  2. Don’t overload your garbage disposal. Avoid straining your garbage disposal by disposing of a lot of food waste at once or disposing of non-food items, starchy food waste, or high-fiber materials. Overloading the garbage disposal will affect its functionality, either slowing it or causing permanent damage.
  3. Don’t dispose of coffee grounds in your sink. Coffee grounds are likely to bundle together and clog your pipes and drain. You should consider using a compost bin to dispose of coffee grounds and other food waste that might clog the pipes.
  4. Don’t
  5. Don’t unblock your sink drains using a caustic drain cleaner. Caustic dry cleaners are inefficient and bad for the environment. These cleaners provide a quick but temporary fix.
  6. Don’t keep your wastebasket under your sink. Keeping your wastebasket under your sink increases the likelihood of always hitting the drainpipes and potentially causing pipe leaks over time.
  7. Don’t load your dishwasher with plates containing leftovers. Loading a dishwasher with plates containing food debris often leads to clogging and other plumbing issues, including a slow and inefficient dishwasher. While a dishwasher can collect food scraps, overloading it with unnecessary debris reduces its performance and lifespan.

Bottom Line

A properly functioning kitchen is vital for every home, and kitchen plumbing usually determines the efficiency or inefficiency of a kitchen. Adhering to the above kitchen plumbing do’s and don’ts can be the difference between a smooth-running kitchen and one that always has plumbing problems. While the rules are helpful, plumbing issues can still arise due to other factors. Whether your kitchen plumbing issues are due to user error or some other factor, you can rely on our kitchen plumbing experts at Curtis Plumbing to help you. We offer all kinds of kitchen plumbing services, including installation, inspection, repair, and maintenance. Contact us today to schedule an appointment and learn more about our services.