The Basics Of Preventive Drain Care

Under ordinary circumstances, the way the drain in your sinks work is pretty simple. You pull out the plug and gravity does the rest. The water flows down into the drainpipe itself, and eventually out of your home and into the sewage line. But even a process as simple as water going down the drain can go wrong.

You might pull the plug on your kitchen sink, or even look down at your shower floor one day, and notice the water’s not going down. Instead, it isactually gathering around and flooding the area. You have a clogged drain, but how did that happen? And how can you prevent it? We’re going to explain all this now.

The Clogged Drain Process

Of course, the function of the drain and drainage pipe itself is to carry “used water” away from the home and deliver it to your sewer system. Sometimes things can get caught in the pipe and not wash down as intended. That one piece of matter could be food from your kitchen sink, or it could be hair in your bathtub or shower stall.

Whatever the case is, it acts as an “anchor,” and other matter going down the same drain may now catch on it, instead of draining away as well. Over time, this mass grows; first becoming a partial blockage, that you might notice as a “slow drain,” and then eventually turning into a fully clogged drain that no longer lets wastewater flow away.

Prevention Is Best

One thing that will be a great source of relief to homeowners is that unlike a faulty water heater tank, or a ruptured drainage pipe, a clogged drain is easily preventable. It does, however, require a little bit of effort. Clogged drains happen because certain types of matter go down the drain and cause the blockage to build up. So, if you simply don’t let those specific types of matter go down the drain, the problem will not occur.

Hair, for example, can be gathered up in a drain screen, instead of letting it flow down the tub or shower stall drain. In the case of kitchens, grease, once it cools down, often congeals and forms a blockage, so don’t pour oils or grease down your pipe, instead pour it into a jar or bottle, and get dispose of it in your green bin, along with your other waste on garbage/recycling collection days.

Cleansing The Pipe

Another way to prevent clogged drains is with a bit of cleaning action.You should exercise some care, especially if you’re doing this because you have noticed a slow drain, and you are trying to deal with a partial blockage before it turns into a full clog.

If possible, mechanical solutions work best. Plungers are good at using air pressure to dislodge a block, and tools like a plumbing snake or plumber’s auger work very well too. You can also try using the off-the-shelf drain cleaner products. Exercise caution when using these products as they use highly corrosive chemicals, overuse may rupture older drainage pipes, and even melt or warp modern day PVC ones.

Bring In The Professionals

If you havea blockage that isn’t close to the drain, it may lie somewhere along the sewage pipe itself, which is a more serious problem! Bring in the professionals and get experienced, certified help with major clogged drain issues! Contact Drain Rescue Plumbers today and discover how we can save you from an irritating and inconvenient blocked drain.