Things That Shouldn’t Go In Your Drain

So after the last couple of weeks MP has decided to start a blog series called “Things That Shouldn’t Go In Your Drain.” Very simply, we are going to show you what some of our customers have mistakenly put down their drains that have had unfortunate (and sometimes expensive) results. Of course to save them from any sort of embarrassment we are going to keep their names and locations completely anonymous. I mean, let’s be real, we’ve all done really silly things! Sometimes you just don’t fully think before you act, but if it can help someone else not make that mistake in the future, it’s a good thing. If our readers out there have made some of these mistakes as well and want us to make a blog about their misadventure, send your stories and pictures to [email protected].

So MP was called out last week to a loyal customers house because she said she had a clog in her kitchen sink. She tried using a store bought liquid clog remover (which any plumbing pro will tell you is a big no-no), but it didn’t solve the problem. So we trucked on over to her house and this is what we found when we got there:

Yikes! That’s just what was floating in the sink! Any guess what that stuff is? Well if you followed us on Facebook you’d know, believe it or not, that it’s an over the counter dietary fiber supplement. Yep, that’s right. This is what happens when you pour almost a pound of soluble fiber down your sink!

So we tried to run our high pressure jetter machine (which runs at 1500 psi!) through the drain in order to break up this blockage, but it just couldn’t cut through it. So we had to go after it the old fashioned way, by disassembling the pipes under the sink. This is where it gets really fun:

Yep, solid all the way though.  It’s no wonder the jetter couldn’t break it up, this stuff was the consistency of rubber! Don’t believe me? Watch the video.

Now, I know what you may be thinking: “If that’s what happens when fiber supplements get wet, why would I ever put that in my body?” Well, it just so happens that our Marketing Director Chris has a degree in Human Nutrition and he can tell you that when used in recommended dosages soluble fiber is completely safe and very beneficial. It does exactly what it’s supposed to do; draws water into your digestive tract in order to promote regularity. But if you were to drink almost a pound of it, you’d most likely end up in the hospital, so don’t!

That’s all we have for today. Hope you enjoyed the blog. Leave your comments below and as always we’re open for suggestions on future topics!

The Proof is in the Plumbing!

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