Avoid Blocked Drains in Your Home with These Simple Tips

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Avoid Blocked Drains in Your Home with These Simple Tips

30 November 2018
 Categories: , Blog


Blocked drains can prove to be unpleasant and may disrupt your daily activities around the house. It can also be expensive to have a plumber come in to help unblock the drains, and they have to dig down to get to a drain pipe, which is a complicated process. Note a few helpful tips to avoid blocked drains.

Watch What You Put, Pour or Flush Down Your Drain

Most of the sewer blockages result from the items that homeowners put in their drains or flush down their toilets. Drainage pipes are made to carry three substances: water, toilet tissue and human waste. Other items may or may not get lodged in the drainage pipe, and these ccan lead to blockage.

Once blocked, wastewater will not be able to leave your property and will end up flowing back up the drain to your sinks, toilets and bathrooms. You can probably visualise the disgusting scene that would occur. Additionally, even though a blockage may not affect your home, it may be felt further down the road where a sewer pipe may get blocked, causing sewage to flow into nearby rivers or to flood pavements or roads.

Everyday substances that you put down the drain shouldn't include grease, oil or cooking fat. These substances will harden and form a block. Do not also use the drain to dispose of garden waste, food waste, nappies, syringes, wrappers, plastic bags, condoms, wipes, cotton products, pet litter, handkerchiefs, rags, paint and paint products, among other things.

Where Should You Dispose of These Items?

Most of these items can go into a bin. There will usually be separate waste bins provided for different types of wastes. Avoid being lazy and use the bins. For oils and grease, there are special traps that you can get which trap fat and prevent it from getting into the drain.

How to Deal with Blocked Drains

The first step will be to figure out what type of blocked drain you are experiencing. Is it something minor or major? Simple blockages, like blocked sinks or toilets, are easy to handle on your own. However, if it is a complex block, do not try to unblock it as you may end up doing more damage. The item blocking the drain may be positioned at a point down the drain you cannot reach. It is usually advisable to call a plumber. Check also if your neighbours are experiencing blocked drainage issues to know if the block is in the sewer, which requires more specialised handling.

To learn more about options for dealing with blocked drains, call a local plumbing service like P1 Plumbing & Electrical.