5 Ways to Prevent Clogged Drains From Ruining Your Day
You want your home to look and feel great. That’s why you take time to keep it clean and do routine maintenance. However, the last thing you want to do is spend money on maintenance issues that could have been avoided. Here are some ways to keep your home in good working order by preventing clogged drains.
1. Don’t Put Food Scraps Down the Drain
This tip primarily applies if you do not have a garbage disposal. Any food scraps that go down the drain can be liquefied if you have a garbage disposal. But if you don’t, food scraps that make it down the drain can get stuck in pipes. They can develop a gunk buildup that will cause clogs with time. You can prevent this by using a drain strainer in your kitchen to keep the unwanted food out.
2. Don’t Pour Oil or Grease Down the Drain
If you’re being honest, you must admit that you have poured bacon grease down the drain at least one time instead of going through the trouble of putting it in a separate receptacle, letting it cool, and then throwing it away. You might have thought that pouring grease down the drain is okay as long as you run hot water down the drain and use a soap designed to cut grease.
However, the reality is that you should never pour grease or oil down the drain. When you pour hot grease into the drain, it solidifies and forms a clog that even the most potent grease-fighting detergent cannot remove.
Even if the grease doesn’t stick to your pipes but travels to the sewer, the problem gets worse. In 2019, a fatberg measuring more than 210 feet in diameter blocked the drains in a British seaside town. It took more than eight weeks to dislodge the fat!
3. Pour Boiling Water Down the Drain
No matter how hard you try, you’re not going to be able to completely prevent grease or debris from going down the drain. You can help by pouring boiling water down your kitchen sink drain once a week. Boiling hot water might melt away the residue of grease and other debris that has stuck to the inside of your pipes.
4. Respect the Limits of Your Garbage Disposal
Just because your sink has a garbage disposal, this doesn’t mean that you can throw any food debris in the disposal. Garbage disposals have a hard time with banana peels, eggshells, potato skins, coffee grounds, and other sticky or thick food types. If you’re not careful, big chunks of food can get into your pipes and create a clog.
When you run your garbage disposal, run cold water from your faucet. The cold water helps to lubricate the garbage disposal process and allows waste material to travel through the drainage system.
5. Prevent Bathroom Clogs
It’s not just your kitchen drains that are susceptible to clogs. They can also happen in your bathroom sink. You can prevent them by cleaning drain stoppers regularly. Remove any soap scum, hair, or other gunk that collects on the stoppers.
Don’t flush non-flushable things down the toilet. The only paper product you should flush is toilet paper. Anything else can clog your toilet and negatively affect your entire sewer system.
It’s recommended that you use drain screens on your kitchen, bathroom, and laundry room drains. The screens sit on top of the openings and prevent food, soap scum, hair, and other debris from getting into your drain. This is an inexpensive and easy way to prevent expensive drain stoppages.
We Can Help With Blockages
Don’t ignore blocked drains. If you notice that water is draining slowly, act immediately. If the problem is left neglected, it could be an expensive repair. Severe damage may even mean replacing the pipes.
At Price’s Plumbing Heating Cooling, we are the plumbing professionals you need. If your drains are not draining as they should, we can help. Our plumbers are licensed and trained, and we produce the best outcomes since we have access to the finest resources.
Contact us today at 856-325-9719 or submit a form online. We look forward to helping you make your home look, feel, and function its best!