Let’s face it — blocked drains can be a nightmare for your home’s plumbing system! Clogged drains are not only inconvenient but may stop you from living your day-to-day life.
Don’t forget, a clogged drain can be a very smelly affair too! And if they are left without treatments, they can destroy the house’s entire sewage system and household plumbing system. However, there’s still hope, as there are multiple ways to prevent blocked drains.
Remember, the key is to watch what you wash down the sink or plughole. Rugged and solid wastes can be hazardous and must be removed before washing utensils. Also, proper drain covers or drain strainer can help keep the bathroom plugholes protected.
To help you out, we have created this guide that can be of assistance in preventing drain blockage. We will begin with the tips to avoid blockage and then move on to how you can clean blocked systems.
Steps To Take For Preventing Blocked Drains
Here we will discuss how you can keep your plugholes in tip-top condition and prevent clogged drains in your plumbing system!
1. Shifting To Sink Strainers
Sink filters can go a long way in preventing your kitchen and bathroom sink from getting clogged. You must place a small metal mesh or a silicon sieve at the sink’s plughole. Ensure that it covers the entire plughole, thus trapping all the dry waste.
These drain strainers have smaller holes that only let the water pass and trap any large materials. You can easily remove it from the drain and empty the waste into the bin. This will keep any solid particles from entering the drainage system at all.
These are beneficial in kitchens and can also be used in bathrooms and shower drain. While food waste and coffee grounds can be a problem in the kitchen sink and garbage disposal unit, you might often have other residual products, such as hair, entering the drain. Hair can bind together (along with soap scum and different oil) and may cause water blockage. Hence a strainer is required to prevent such things from happening.
Moving on, sink filters are straightforward to clean. You must remove the dirt and wash it with soap before putting it back in place.
2. Flushing The Toilet
While toilets are accustomed to human waste and toilet paper, they are not designed to flush down heavier or more important things. This includes feminine hygiene products, thicker tissues and towels, which the water spray cannot break down. Hence if you have been flushing any of these, you need to stop immediately.
It is best to keep a bin beside the toilet, which you can use for all the used napkins and towels to avoid blocked drains. If you use thick luxury napkins, throw them in the bin, not the toilet. This could prevent any unnecessary complications and keep the drain unclogged.
3. Prevent Pouring Grease
Cooking oil and cooking grease may be liquids, but they are significant enemies of drains and can easily cause a blockage. There have been cases where the entire underground sewage system has been blocked because of grease and oil.
Although these liquids can wash down drains easily, they cannot deal with them. This leads to the oil building up and adding to other substances and must be disposed of properly.
These can create solid blockages that become difficult to remove. It can also be costly to clean the entire sewage system. So, keep this in mind the next time you empty all the grease into a plughole.
4. Checking Outdoor Drains
While talking about drains, we usually only consider the ones indoors. But we need to remember the outdoor ones too. Outdoor drains may be easily clogged due to fallen leaves and stones. The leaves can be the most significant problem and can also cause waterlogging.
Remember to sweep the leaves away when you see them accumulating near drains. Keeping your garden tidy is the first step toward preventing blockage.
How To Clean Blocked Drains?
If you already have a blocked drain, the easiest way to clean it would be to hit the local supermarket. You will find various options in the cleaning section, which can take care of all kinds of waste.
Most of them are artificial solutions, but if you want a natural one, you can make it at home yourself. Mix baking soda and vinegar in equal amounts and add them to a jar of hot water. This baking soda mixture can unblock most kitchen drains, and shower drains quickly. We have listed the other plausible options below.
1. Using A Plunger
You can try using a plunger as that would provide a burst of water, and if the blockage is small, you can dislodge the particle immediately. But remember not to use the plunger too hard as it may break the seal and leave you with a leaking drain pipe.
Also, you can pour boiling water mixed with baking soda and vinegar after plunging.
2. Calling For Help
If you have a significant blockage that you cannot take care of with a home remedy or plunger, you will have to seek professional help. This involves calling up a plumber and explaining your problem. They will then check, access, and remove the particles blocking your drain. Unblocking drains, blocked toilets, bathroom sinks, and serious blockage in other parts of the house may be an expensive process, but it is ultimately worth it.
Do You Need A Professional Plumber For Your Blocked Pipes?
Specific home insurance policies will cover the entire house and the drainage system. So, they will take over and fix the problem if you face such issues.
But you will not need to spend at all if you take care of waste properly from the beginning. Always ensure you throw any solid wastes out separately and not empty grease pans in the sink. This will prevent blockage, and you should have a smooth experience.
If you have a blocked drain in Sydney, contact us today! We will send out a professional plumber will the skills to remove cooking grease, food scraps, tree roots and other debris from your drain. Plus, we can provide you with tips for preventing blockages in the future.
Let us know about your experience in the comment section below.
