Plumbing and Heating- The Myths that Abound!

Home plumbing and heating is something that everyone who owns a home should get acquainted with. The reason for this is because plumbing and heating problems can crop up at any time. Whether it is a toilet, a sink or heating vents issues are bound to arise. Many people assume that plumbing as well as heating is very simple and that they can be fixed without the need to call in a professional. If you have no clue what you are doing then calling in a specialist is the smartest thing to do. Let us look at some common mistaken ideas regarding plumbing and heating that many people have.

Have you ever run the water in your sink in trying to eliminate a clog? If yes then you are in good company as this is something that many people do. Unfortunately if you already have a clog then trying to coax running water to break up the blockage will not do the trick.

Lemons are refreshing, cleansing and have a pleasant scent to them. They make everything smell very nice which is why it is common for individuals to squeeze lemons to allow the juice to make a drain smell cleaner. In theory this idea makes sense but in practice it does not because lemons are acidic and as a result of this they can cause metal to corrode. The more often you do this the more harm you can cause your drains. This leads to cracks, leaks and rusting.

Of all of the plumbing and heating myths one of the most common by far is that all plumbers are equally trained and qualified. The truth of the matter is that not all plumbers are exactly the same. Before you hire a plumbing professional make sure he is licensed and is trained when it comes to the most recent advances and technology.

It is often believed that you can save money on your energy bill if you maintain a temperature that is constant (such as 68 degrees) when you are away from home and when you are asleep at night. The belief is that your furnace will expend more energy in attempting to reach a temperature that is comfortable as opposed to the energy it takes to maintain a particular temperature. The fact is that by choosing to do this you could actually be missing out on saving money. What you should do instead is to use a programmable thermostat in your home and then adjust it accordingly when you leave for work and for when you go to bed at night.

While adjusting your thermostat is connected to the type of climate you live in research studies looking into this have found that when the temperature in a home is reduced by approximately 10 degrees for an eight hour time period this can play a role in reducing your heating bill by anywhere from five to 15 percent.

Many people choose to close off the vents for the rooms in their homes that are used infrequently because they think that this saves energy. In truth energy gets wasted this way because the air pressure in your heating system becomes altered and then your furnace ends up running less efficiently. Sealing the ducts is a smarter alternative to closing off vents. If you do decide to shut off some of the vents in your house then make sure that you do not shut off anymore than 10 percent of them.