Clogged pipes are a headache that no one wants to deal with. In addition to being a nuisance, clogged pipes can be a health hazard and fill your home with bad smells. Fortunately, you can greatly reduce your risk of clogged pipes by following some simple tips. Here are five easy ways to prevent clogs in your pipes.
1. Keep Grease Out of Your Drains
While spring weather in Mesquite, TX is generally warm, the pipes leading away from your home remain cool, which is bad news if you pour cooking grease down your kitchen drain. Cooking grease tends to congeal as it cools, and over time, it can collect in a thick enough layer to completely block off the pipes, creating an expensive mess that can take considerable time to remedy. Instead of pouring cooking grease down your drains, hot grease should be collected in a jar or other container and allowed to cool so it can be thrown away.
2. Use Screens in Tubs, Showers, and Sinks
Most of the materials that tend to cause clogged pipes can be kept out of the pipes by putting screens on the drains. Screens in tubs and showers will collect loose hair, fabric fibers, and other debris that is washed off when taking a bath or shower. Screens in sinks prevent food scraps and other materials from getting into the drain, where they can create a clog. The screens can be taken out and dumped in the trash when they’re full.
3. Flush Your Drains Regularly
Flushing your drains on a regular basis allows a lot of water to rush through the pipes at once, creating a wall of water that will push most things out of the pipes and into the sewage system. The simplest way to flush your pipes is to stopper your tubs and sinks and fill them with a good amount of water. Then unstop the drains and flush the toilets at the same time to send water rushing through the pipes.
4. Keep Hygiene Products Out of Toilets
Hygiene products, even those deemed “flushable,” tend to clog the pipes when flushed down the toilet. While they may make it down the large hole, they get caught in the bends of the pipes and do not decompose quickly. Thus, they remain stuck in place, preventing water and waste from getting through. The best course of action is to avoid flushing anything but waste and toilet paper down the toilet.
5. Buy a Lint Catcher for Your Washer
Washing machines in use circulate lint, small pieces of fabric, and other small debris that can collect in the drain hose and cause a clog. Using a mesh lint catcher with the hose can prevent most of this particulate from getting into the drain, where it can create problems. There are also reusable lint traps that can be attached to the washing machine’s drain hole for quick and simple cleaning.
Conclusion
These tips will help you keep most of the things that clog pipes out of your plumbing system. If you suspect that your pipes are clogged or have any other pipe-related questions, call the professional plumbers at Flow Plumbing today for a consultation. We are happy to help with all your plumbing needs.
