How to Avoid Destruction with Your Apartment Plumbing

Written by: Gloria Pytlak

Let’s talk about your toilet. Yes, you read that right. We said toilet.

More specifically, we’re covering what should and shouldn’t be going down the grand porcelain throne, a kitchen sink, or garbage disposal. Every now and again, one bad egg clogs the plumbing system causing the whole building to suffer.

Good plumbing practices mean a building full of happy tenants and that’s what Franklin West strives for.

Here is a list of items you need to think twice about putting through your building’s plumbing.

Garbage Disposal Don’ts

To keep your garbage disposal working efficiently, one good rule of thumb is to avoid shoving large quantities of things down it. The following items should never go down a garbage disposal:

  1. Coffee Grounds
  2. Pasta, Rice, Oatmeal, or other foods that expand
  3. Bones
  4. Nuts/Pits
  5. Onion Skins
  6. Egg Shells
  7. Pumpkin, Celery, or other Fibrous Vegetables
  8. Potato Peels
  9. Chemicals/Paint
  10. Corn Husks
  11. Trash

This list came from The Family Handyman, which you can read in greater detail on why these items can become a big problem.

If your kitchen sink doesn’t have a garbage disposal, you should not put anything down the drain. Please use a kitchen sink strainer basket to ensure that nothing other than water and dish cleaning soap goes through the drain.

Lavatory Don’ts

The following items should never be flushed down the commode:

  1. Baby Wipes (even those marketed as being flushable)
  2. Q-tips & Cotton Swabs
  3. Menstrual Products
  4. Condoms
  5. Diapers
  6. Dental Floss
  7. Paper Towels & Tissues
  8. Medication
  9. Cigarette Buds
  10. Kitty Litter
  11. Hair
  12. Gum
  13. Cooking Grease
  14. Fish
  15. Food
  16. Bleach

In short, only toilet paper should be flushed down the toilet. Read more about why these items are not good for bathroom plumbing from House Beautiful.

Spot the Problem… Before It’s a Really BIG Problem

How do you know if one drain versus your entire plumbing system is backed up?

Even if everyone in our apartments follows our guidance above, external situations out of our control can cause a sewage system to back up. So, what are the warning signs?  One sign of a sewer drain clog is when more than one plumbing fixture backs up at the same time. You may even experience unusual sounds coming from the fixtures in your apartment.

With plumbing problems, whether it be a slow drain, a clog or a potential sewage backup, please CALL our office at 412-661-1151 as soon as you notice a problem, no matter what time of day or night!