Rinsing Dishes Before they go into DW (NY Times test)

[TheBlackAdder]

2. Low-Flow Toilets, Shower Heads & Garbage Disposals are main cause of Sewer Line Blockages & Failures

.

We live in a neighborhood where most homes have garbage disposals. I have one too, that I never use. I've lived in homes with private septic systems and county sewer hookups. With the migration to low-flow shower heads, faucets and toilets, there is emerging a new problem--clogged main lines.


With private systems we never flush grease or food into the system, and that is a practice that should be followed with county or DPW tie-ins too. My neighborhood is going through a lot of issues with clogged main lines now. This is causing the repeated rooting of the lines, which creates another problem--you can only root a main line so many times before you are on the hook for thousands in repair costs. This is especially true if you have older Mercer pipes. Always wipe your dishes before placing them in the dishwasher or cleaning them in the sink. Absolutely NO grease. While the water might be hot at the sink, it quickly cools as it runs down the line and the grease gels. Dishwashers average just over 4 gallons of water per cycle. Not enough to flush grease down the line properly. While solids will be trapped by the screen, I would want my dishwasher to have the cleanest water possible, especially for the rinse cycle.


Another solution is to periodically pour a gallon or two of caustic Main Line Cleaner (brand easily found at Wal*Mart for around $10 a gallon). If you also have tree root intrusion, RootX can be used after the application of Main Line Cleaner. Like with arteries in a body, don't wait for the vein to completely clog before addressing a blockage. If there is a main line blockage, backups will occur and rooting will be required. I have older toilets and double flush them to clear the feces from the line. Once a month or so, I will partially fill a tub and sink and let it drain while flushing a toilet a few times to clear the line out. While this wastes water, my Main Line is under a concrete driveway, cement slab garage and cement foyer hallway. Replacing the mainline will be well over $10K. Two of my neighbors recently had their main lines replaced at $7-8K each and theirs were just under dirt without any obstructions.

.