There are some pretty interesting urban legends out there when it comes to Plumbing. But which of this legend are myths and which ones are rooted in fact? Prepare to find out once and for all!

1. Snakes Biting People On The Toilet

Have you heard the stories of snakes crawling up people’s toilet pipes and biting them when they go to use the restroom? Well, if you’re sitting there thinking that this has to be a plumbing myth, then think again. Snakes entering your bathroom through the toilet is a plumbing fact.

While rare, snakes can and have, slithered their way into people’s homes, via the toilet. Snakes can gain access to your plumbing in a few different ways, but homes with a crawl space are the most vulnerable. Snakes love crawl spaces and if there is a hole or large enough crack in one of your pipes, a snake can easily slide right in. Then it’s just a short distant from there to your toilet bowl.

Plus, damaged or cracked pipes can cause a lot more serious plumbing and financial issues. If it’s been a while since you’ve had the condition of your pipes examined, it might be time to contact a licensed plumber, to ensure that your pipes are hole free!

2. Ice Cubes Sharpen Garbage Disposal Blades

There is a popular theory, that you can keep the blades in your garbage disposal sharp, by grinding up ice cubes. This is a plumbing myth.

At best, ice cubes might clean the blades in your disposal. So, if you notice a strong odor coming from your sink, you might consider tossing a few cubes in your disposal to see if that helps.

3. Water Flushes In Different Directions In Different Hemispheres

The Coriolis Effect, makes water flush counter-clockwise in the northern hemisphere and
clockwise in the southern hemisphere. No, no it doesn’t, this is a huge plumbing myth.

The Coriolis Effect, really only applies to large bodies of water. Toilet bowls are just too small for the Coriolis Effect. The only thing that determines the direction water flushes is the design of the toilet.

4. Egg Shells Clean Garbage Disposals

Grinding up my morning egg shells will help keep my disposal clean and odor free. Egg lovers rejoice, this one is a plumbing fact.

Go ahead a toss those egg shells in your disposal. They are one of the few items, soft and safe enough to go in the disposal, that will actually help keep it clean.

5. Flushable Wipes Are Fine To Flush

I can flush my Flush-able wipes down the toilet with no problem. After all, why else would they be called Flush-able? You might want to think twice about tossing those wipes in your bowl. This is a plumbing (and advertising) myth.

Keep this in mind, just because you can flush it, doesn’t mean you should flush it! Regularly flushing these so called Flush-able wipes down your toilet will cause major plumbing issues that will cost you major bucks