How To Prevent A Blocked Drain In Your Home

Blocked drains are the most common and frustrating household problems. Whether it is an outside blocked drain or a clogged pipe inside, the hassle can mess up your daily routine and cause costly repairs.

Prevention is the best defence against such unpleasantries and ensures that your plumbing system works just fine. This article will look into ways to prevent blocked drains and when to consider hiring professional blocked drainage services.

Understanding Common Causes Of Blocked Drains

Before learning how to prevent blocked drains, knowing their common causes is essential. These include:

Grease and Fat Build-Up: It may seem harmless to dispose of cooking oil or fat in the sink, but these substances solidify and obstruct water flow over a period.

Hair Accumulation: Hair can clump together in bathroom drains, causing tough blockages.

Foreign Bodies: Sanitary products, wet wipes, and even kids' toys can readily clog sewer pipes when not disposed of properly.

Leaves and Debris: For gutters, overflowing with fallen leaves or garden debris is the top cause of blockages.

Scale Build-Up: In regions where hard water is standard, it is easy for limescale deposits to thin down the diameter of pipes and cause blockages.

Some Easy Ways To Prevent Blocking

Let us have a look at how you can prevent drainage blocking:

Proper Disposal

Improper waste disposal is the primary cause of drain blockages. Here's how to ensure proper waste management:

Do not pour grease down the sink: Collect all used cooking oil in a suitable receptacle and dispose of it with household refuse.

Dispose of sanitary products in bins: Never flush sanitary items, cotton buds, or baby wipes down the toilet.

Compost garden waste: Prevent outdoor drains from clogging by collecting leaves and garden materials for composting instead of allowing them to flow into the drainage system.

Cover The Drains

Cover the drains or strainers. While not very expensive, much hair, food, or other matters would be stopped before they entered your pipes. Ensure the indoor and outdoor drains are provided with the right cover.

Drain Cleaning

Regular drains maintenance can clean off minor build-ups when they are still manageable instead of turning them into full-blown blockages. You can do the following:

• Flush your sink and shower drains weekly with hot water to clear grease and soap residue.
• Mix baking soda and vinegar to create a homemade cleaning solution. Let it stay for 15 minutes before flushing with boiling water.

Be Careful Of What You Flush Down The Toilet

Toilets should be used only for human waste and toilet paper. Flushing other stuff can cause clogs, so always keep a bin in the bathroom for alternative disposal needs.

Clear Outdoor Drains

During autumn, leaves abound, and outdoor drains can quickly get clogged. Regularly sweep your garden to prevent leaves from piling up around drain grates.

Signs Of A Potentially Blocked Drain

Identifying the signs of blockage in the drain ahead of time saves you the hassle:

• Slow Water Flow in Sinks, Baths or Showers
• Malodour from your sink drains
• Gurgling sounds in pipes during the water flow
• A water pool near an outdoor blocked drain

When experiencing any of these, you can prevent the drainage problem from getting worse with prompt actions.

When To Call Professional Blocked Drainage Services

DIY solutions only work for minor clogs, but significant clogging needs professional assistance. Here's when you should hire blocked drainage services:

Long-standing blockages: After numerous attempts to clear the drain have failed, then it may be deeper inside.

Structural problems: Tree roots or collapsed pipes are the leading causes of severe blockages requiring specialised equipment to remedy.

Recurring problems: A professional inspection may identify underlying issues if your drains clog frequently despite preventive measures.

Reputable service providers use advanced techniques like high-pressure jetting and CCTV inspections to clear and diagnose drainage problems efficiently.

Benefits Of Preventing Blocked Drains

Taking proactive measures to prevent blocked drains offers numerous benefits, including:

Cost savings: Avoid repair and replacement costs associated with severe blockages or pipe damage.

Improved sanitation: Avoid foul odour and danger imposed by stagnated water.

Environmental impact: Safe waste disposal prevents harmful chemicals from flowing into water sources.

Extended life for the plumbing system: Regular maintenance minimises pipe wear and thus has long-life pipes.

Eco-friendly Practices For Drains

• Adopting eco-friendly practices will improve the effectiveness of your routine drain maintenance.
• Use biodegradable soaps and detergents to discourage chemical buildup in your drains.
• Choose natural drain cleaners rather than harsh chemical cleaners, which might damage your pipes and harm the environment.
• Install water-saving fixtures to reduce strain on your drainage system.

Conclusion

Great habits and regular maintenance help prevent clogged drains. It all starts with making small efforts such as disposing of waste properly, using drain covers, and cleaning your drains regularly. However, you will need professional blocked drainage services for an outside blocked drain or persistent drainage problems to do the job efficiently.

Investing your time in prevention saves you from future inconveniences and keeps your plumbing system in excellent condition in the long run. However, being proactive will bequeath you a bother-free and environmentally friendly drainage system in your home.