Plumbers- minimum usage to keep your system functioning? (dishwasher, drain, sink)
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On a different note, saw the other Plumber/water issue post and thought I would throw this out there as a potentially completely different issue.
We live in California and as you all probably know we are in the midst of an extreme drought and I'm noticing a little more issues creeping up with our conservation (extreme to some I'm sure) of our household water use. Just a few more smells and gunk seeming to making itself known more frequently than usual. Our usage would best be described as if we live in a motor home or boat and are adjusting our flow to those very low levels that would typically be found in that setting. So, while everyone else just blasts the kitchen sink, bathroom faucet and shower; there are two flow descriptions- on full or off, when we use those fixtures we adjust for a very small stream of water which honestly works just fine for us. Also our toilet flushing is infrequent (it's what you do here). But I am curious if having an exceptionally low volume of water through the system is problematic in the long term.
Honestly we are fine with incurring the wrath of moonbeam Jerry (governor) if we should be using more flow to keep the system in tip top shape. We are actually just trying to keep our modest lawn and garden green so are shifting our usage down in the house to keep our nice garden. I've often heard that it is a good idea to occasionally pour a big pot of boiling water down each drain to keep things flowing well. Can we continue our conservative measures and just add that regime to the schedule and how often should we do that- once a month?
Just trying to do our part but I'm also wanting to be practical.
Thanks in advance for any advice, knowledge or suggestions.
The temperature of the water makes no "real difference". It's VOLUME!
Understanding how a DWV system is suppose to work and you'd understand why volume not temperature is your friend. In very short layman's terms, you want a "slug" of water to carry waste all the way to the main waste line. When you limit or severely restrict the size of the "slug" it's unable to carry the waste to the mainline. This is where blockages start- when waste is left in the lines because there wasn't enough water to carry it along.
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Originally Posted by K'ledgeBldr
The temperature of the water makes no "real difference". It's VOLUME!
Understanding how a DWV system is suppose to work and you'd understand why volume not temperature is your friend. In very short layman's terms, you want a "slug" of water to carry waste all the way to the main waste line. When you limit or severely restrict the size of the "slug" it's unable to carry the waste to the mainline. This is where blockages start- when waste is left in the lines because there wasn't enough water to carry it along.
I agree with the volume part, but boiling water helps dissipate accumulated solids such as meat fats and send them along their way. Whenever you wash a pan used to cook bacon, hamburger or other fatty meats, even after pouring out the grease into the garbage some of it will be washed into the sewer line, and if not flushed out will settle and solidify when it cools.
A pot of boiling water won't overcome the thermal mass enough to do more than move surface fats a few feet. Better to keep a waste fat jar by the sink. A dishwasher will put down seven gallons or so in a complete cycle, which is adequate for kitchen lines. A lot of clogs are a combination of lint from laundry and fats. Poo is water soluble.
A well designed system with proper slope is going to be fine, except that by leaving pee in the toilet you will get a buildup of uric acid crystals which will stink. Use a bowl cleaner that has hydrochloric acid from time to time to limit that. FOLLOW DIRECTIONS and let it sit for ten minutes.
I agree that the current shower mixer valves are stupid and demand an additional valve at the shower head so pressure can be regulated.
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