Plumbing Myths That Could Negatively Impact Your Maryland Home

Any professional plumber can recite some amusing plumbing myths. After all, the apparatus of our daily lives attracts its share of folklore. However, plumbing myths can waste a lot of money, so here are a few we wish would disappear for good.

A Bubbling Noise in Your Water Heater Means it May Explode

If you’re hearing bubbling or popping noises inside your heater, don’t evacuate the house. Instead, call your plumber. A build-up of hard water sediment at the bottom of a tank can cause uneven heating and generate air pockets that bubble and pop when the heater burner’s turned on. It can also shorten tank life. A plumbing professional will flush the tank and test the temperature and pressure safety valve as well.

Little Drips Don’t Add Up to Big Water Waste

There’s an old saying about rust — it never sleeps. Neither does a dripping faucet. Multiply these drips everyday for several months and you’ll discover you’re sending a lot of water, and the money to pay for it, down the drain. A single faucet dripping once per second wastes a gallon of water every 4.5 hours and more than 2,000 gallons per year.

A Brick in the Toilet Tank is a Water Conservation Device

True, a brick displaces water and reduces your gallons-per-flush. But a brick may also gradually shift position as water enters and drains out of the tank and interfere with the float or flapper valve, which will end up wasting more water than you’ll save. If you want to lower your tank level, have your plumber adjust the fill valve, or better yet, ask him about upgrading to a high-efficiency 1.68 gallon-per-flush toilet instead.

At Sobieski Services, Inc., our goal is to help our customers in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey learn more about energy and home comfort issues – especially HVAC and plumbing issues – so that they can save money and live in healthier, more comfortable homes.

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