Common Causes Of Drain Clogs
There is nothing worse than discovering that your drain is becoming clogged. You watch the water in the sink or shower and hope that it will begin to disappear before your eyes. But instead, it lingers, and only after a few minutes does it make its way slowly down the drain. And even though you don’t want to admit it, you know that there is a clog forming, and it is time to call for professional help from the pros at Flow Plumbing. We hear this story a lot from our customers. And it is always followed by the same request. Everyone asks what causes drain clogs and how can they be avoided. And while not every clog can be avoided, many of the following can.
Use Your Garbage Disposal Correctly
Your garbage disposal is designed for grinding up and the disposal of small bits of food and waste that are rinsed off of dishes and cookware. No Pitbull is living under your sink, and ready to gnaw away at a half-eaten steak or a handful of old hard-boiled eggs. So place large chunks of food in your waste can. Also, avoid coffee grounds and eggs shells, which can bind up the grinder inside your disposal. The other hazard is hot grease or cooking oil. These items should never be poured down a drain. Even though you are pouring a liquid, these substances will cool and stick to the inside of your drain, creating a sticky, gummy mess. Think of it as a trap for all of the debris and food particles that will wash down your sink drain. Finally, always rinse the drain thoroughly after running the disposal to move all of the waste into the sewer line.
Clean Your Dishwasher
While most of us love our dishwasher for its time savings on a least favorite chore, it also needs a little attention from time to time. Take a few moments to clean out any solid waste that has settled at the bottom of your dishwasher. If you continue to run it with the screen clogged, particles of food will create a clog that can either back up into the dishwasher or move into the drain line for your sink. Either way, at some point, the food grime will cause a nasty clog that you are going to have to deal with or have removed by a plumber. Regularly removing the food pieces is the best way to avoid this clog and plumbing expense.
Clean Your Clothes Washer
Much like your dishwasher, your clothes washer does a job that no one wants to do by hand. But on those days when you are catching up on weeks’ worth of laundry, you need to pay close attention to your drain. The fibers from synthetic fabrics will gather in the pipe and begin to snag every tiny particle that tried to pass through the drain. These clogs most often occur on days when you are washing multiple loads of laundry in succession, and the fibers remain moist and sticky in the drain pipe. Regularly cleaning the washer drain filter is the best way to avoid a flood coming from the washer or the washer drain.
Not All Issues Can Be Controlled
While you have control over the drains in your home, not all clogs occur indoors. Sometimes, the issue is due to a clog in the outside drain. These drains can become clogged with dirt, sand, and debris due to heavy rain or storm. While you can’t change the fact that there was a lot of rain, you can be mindful of that condition and limit your use of items like your clothes washer or dishwasher right after a storm. And if you must use these items right after a heavy rain, pay close attention to the drain cycle so that you can shut off the machine in the event of a backup.
The short answer to avoiding many drain clogs in your home is to be mindful during your daily activities. Cleaning the drain filters on your appliances, knowing that a storm can impact your sewer drain, and watching for issues will help you to avoid the unpleasant surprise of a backed-up drain and the expense of a professional clog removal.
And the final piece of the puzzle is to schedule a professional drain cleaning each year to remove the residue and debris that is ever-present in your drain pipes. Call (214) 388-8838 and schedule your appointment in the evening, on the weekend, or whenever it works for your schedule. But be sure to use only the pros at Flow Plumbing who have the experience and expertise to clean your drains safely and without the use of harmful toxic chemicals.
