One of the most annoying things that can happen in your home is a clog in your drain. Fortunately, there are things that you can do to prevent these very common problems. Below we are going to look at some of the ways that you can avoid the problems of clogs in your drains and some of the reasons why these preventative measures can help.
Don’t Put Food down your Sink
This seems like something that should be obvious. However, this doesn’t just mean solid food. This means things like coffee grounds, eggshells, grains, fat, grease, oil and more. You also shouldn’t put bones and meat down the drain. If you are fortunate enough to have a garbage disposal, this can be used for breaking down and flushing the majority of foods in your drain. However, you shouldn’t rely too much on it. it should only be used once per day.
Even if your kitchen has a disposal, you shouldn’t ever flush coffee grounds, grease or oil down your drain. These will coat your pipes’ inside and build up as time goes by. They also will collect other types of materials that are coming down your drain, which will cause a clog. Scrape your plates off, put leftover food in your garbage and transfer grounds and grease into things like cans before you toss them rather than putting them into your drain.
Use a Screen or Grate on your Drain
A screen or grate put on your drain is going to block anything that isn’t liquid from getting into your drain and causing clogs. Things such as dirt, food and hair aren’t able to pass through this grate, but water will be able to without a problem. Remember that the majority of grates aren’t going to work with liquids such as grease and oil.
Once you have purchased a grate, make sure that it’s washed out when it gets dirty. If you allow it to catch and accumulate lots of stuff and you avoid cleaning it, it can cause problems with hygiene. Use grates that you can remove so that they can be placed over the plugs of multiple sinks and so that they only need to e used when needed. Grates are inexpensive, simple and easily located in a hardware store or online.
Brush Your Hair before you Shower
This is one that a lot of people don’t know about this one. When your hair is brushed, your loose hair’s removed naturally and safely. That loose hair’s what is washed off during a bath or shower and that goes down your shower’s drain.
When you brush your hair before you step into your shower, the majority of your hair that is going to clog the drain is removed. Rather than creating a nasty clog, your hair is going to collect on your comb or brush and will be easy to remove and throw away.
Obviously, this isn’t going to stop all of the hair that might come out during a shower. But it can help in a big way and it can also reduce the chances of clogs.
Check Your Stoppers for Buildup & Hair
A lot of times, before clogs become clogs, it’s simply collected debris such as soap scum and hair that’s hanging on the stopper of your drain. When your sink or shower is being used regularly, the water is going to wash of parts of that collection, and they go into your drain. This will form clogs.
Around twice per month, you want to pull the stoppers from your sink totally and look at them to see if there is buildup. Chances are that you are going to see hair, soap scum building up and other types of natural debris, such as dirt and skin cells. Remove any hair and thoroughly clean your stopper, using a toothbrush and your favorite cleaning agent to clean it.
Avoid Using Chemical Cleaners
We’ve talked before about why we don’t like liquid drain cleaners, but it bears repeating.
The majority of chemical products for de-clogging have acids in them. These types of chemicals might get rid of clogs in your drains, but the acid that they contain also will corrode your home’s pipes. When pipes begin corroding, the pipes’ material is going to scrape off of its inner walls, then travel in your pipe. These might become caught and begin forming clogs. Pipes that are corroded also will leak a lot more easily, since the walls of the pipe can’t handle your water pressure since they are thinner.
Clogs are annoying, are sure, but they usually aren’t permanent. However, once a pipe is corroded, it’s always corroded. This means that you are going to have to replace the pipe that’s damaged. Replacing a pipe is a lot more expensive than having a pipe de-clogged, so you want to avoid using a chemical cleaner.
When You Use Your Disposal, Run the Cold Water
It’s important to run your cold water when you are using your garbage disposal. The current is used by your disposal to move the water through your disposal and your pipes.
When you use your disposal but don’t run the water, it isn’t going to be effective. It even could damage your system. Hot water’s not as effective at moving the materials through your disposal and into your pipes. It often will encourage material such as food to congeal, and it could get stuck on your disposal or in the pipes. Before you use your disposal, run your cold water for 2 to 3 seconds.
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These are just six of the things that you can do to avoid having a problem with clogs in your drains. Now, if you have any questions or you want a plumber to come out and check your pipes or drains, give us a call. We are glad to answer your questions and let you know what we can do to help your water flow the way that it should. Let us know how we can help you.
