One of the most important things you can do to help maintain the drains and pipework in your home is prevent drain clogs and ensure that the drains in your home run freely at all times. In this post we’ll talk about how you can prevent these clogs and ensure that things don’t even come close to clogging!
You can mostly prevent clogged drains by keeping an eye on what goes in them. It really is that simple. Cooking grease, coffee grounds, hair, and soap scum are just a few of the things that you should consider out of bounds to the drains in your home.
Avoid these at all costs and you will avoid many of the problems that can occur. If you fail to keep these things out of the drains, it will eventually cause a build up and you will have to deal with an even bigger, more expensive problem.
Getting Your Drain Looked At Properly
If you find that a clog occurs in your home every few years, for example, it’s a bad idea to simply keep on getting it cleaned. A recurring issue could be something serious, such as tree roots getting into clay tile joints, a pipe that has collapsed, or some rotted cast iron that is allowing soil to fall in and create the blockage.
It’s always worth forking out to find out the real cause and have that fixed, rather than simply going for frequent sewer cleaning. If you fail to get the real issue looked at and fixed, you will have to fork out more time and money sooner than you think.
Taking Care Of Your Toilet
Throwing personal care products down the toilet is all too tempting and easy, which is why many people do it. However, these people often suffer with bigger problems later on. Just because the stuff seems to flush OK, doesn’t mean that everything is fine and you should be doing it.
Even dental floss going down the toilet can be a risk when it gets to the main sewer. It could get snagged on something and your drain could clog up! Don’t be fooled by the fact you can see the items being flushed easily. What happens after you can’t see them is where the problems occur.
You also need to consider that these products will not easily decompose. Don’t use your toilet as a bin and you will avoid many problems later on down the line, both with your own drains and the environment!
Using A Drain Strainer
Using a drain strainer is inexpensive and smart. While the devices are small, the impact they can have on your drains can be powerful and help to protect against clogs effectively. These strainers are basically small nets with holes all over them. The holes are just the right size to only let water pass through.
Hair, soap, and other enemies of your drain will not be allowed through, so it will all simply rest in your sink. All you then have to do is pick it up and place it in your bin. You can find many viable options in your local DIY store.
Other Ways To Prevent Clogging & Keep Things Running Freely
Instead of simply allowing cooking grease into your drain, store it in an old container, such as a milk carton. You can then dispose of it in the bin.
Adding coffee grounds to a mulch pile is a good idea too. Mulch piles are great for your garden and the environment!
You may like to stop by your local DIY shop and see what’s available for your particular fixture to stop clogs from occuring. You could take a picture of your drain system if you’ll be needing help and ask a member of staff to advise you.
Run hot water through the sink after each use, as this will keep things running down the drain and avoid a build up on the interior. Baking soda mixed with hot water is a great cleaning product and will also make things smell much nicer!
Vinegar can be used in a number of cleaning applications, as well as down the drain. Allow it to sit for 30 minutes and then chase it up with very hot water. You should remove a build-up of organic muck in your pipes by doing this.
Make sure you call our emergency plumbers ASAP if you suspect something has clogged your pipes.