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Daily Maintenance Can Prevent Clogged Drains

Regular use can cause foreign objects such as toilet paper, paper towels, food, skin oils and more to enter your sanitary sewer system. When these particles adjoin, it will often form a mass that can clog your sanitary drain.

The best way to prevent these clogs is to take the necessary measures to avoid them from occurring in the first place. Drains need careful monitoring and preventative measures to help prevent particles from building up and resulting in a clogged drain.

By keeping to a regular maintenance and prevention schedule, you can save several call outs  to your local plumbers and money in the process.

These are some of the expert tips that we suggest to our regular callers:

1. Know What Can / Can't Be Flushed

Remember that toilet drains are meant only for human waste and toilet paper. Never flush sanitary products, q-tips, fat and grease down the toilet, as these are some of the items that cause the worst clogged drains.

Tip: Dispose of disposable items in the rubbish. Instead of pouring fat or grease down the kitchen drain, rather allow it to cool down and become solidified, before scraping it up and disposing of it in the rubbish.

 

2. Install Filters

Washing machines have filters to prevent lint from being carried into the drainpipes. Lint traps, installed on the discharge hose, can catch lint and other materials before they enter the pipes.

Tip:  Install strainers in all the kitchen and bathroom drains to stop pieces of soap, food particles hair and other foreign objects from entering the drains.

 

3.  Keep Your Drains Clean

Regular maintenance will ensure that your drains stay clean. It doesn't take much effort to keep your drains clean as part of your regular house-cleaning routine. Here's how:

Regularly clear out the filters and strainers on your washing  machine, zinks, basins and baths to ensure that the water clears out of there quickly, while also keeping the water clean while you use it.

Pour hot water down the drains after use, particularly if you shaved, used bath oils, or cleaned the dishes. Those activities are particularly greasy. The water will already be cool when you let it out, but running the hottest water you can stand right afterwards, will help clear the dirt and move it along the run.

Avoid pouring harsh chemicals down your drains, as they may be caustic, causing your pipes to become rusted. When that happens, you will develop even bigger issues, ranging from low water pressure, and dirty water, to no water at all. Another risk with chemicals, is that it may shoot back up and damage your skin and eyes.

If your drain does become clogged despite your best efforts, rather call your local plumber before the problem becomes a big issue.

What do you think?

Written by Anta

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