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A clogged drain may start as a minor problem but, in the long run, escalates into a more significant issue. Clogging can cause corrosion, sewer breakage, water drainage, and most importantly, it can risk everyone’s health and safety in your home. If you’re wondering how clogged drains might be avoided, well, it’s best to start by identifying the culprits that cause it to happen.
If the clogged drainage persists, it’s best to call in professionals that offer plumbing repair services to check your pipes and sewer line. However, it’s best to deal with the problem before the last minute.
Below are the common culprits of clogged drains you might not be aware of:
- Food Waste
Food waste can be a culprit of clogged drains. Even if your sink has garbage disposal, you should never let food go down the drain. But instead, create a compost pile away from the sink to dispose of food waste. This is primarily for non-biodegradable garbage, such as tea leaves and coffee grounds.
Other products to be careful about are grease and oil since they’ll solidify in the pipes and cause drainage. If you’re having difficulties getting rid of a clogged drain in your sink, it’s advised to call a plumber to handle the problem.
- Hair
Hair is one of the common causes of drain blockage. Exceptionally long hair strands are prone to tangling in drain pipes and getting stuck. Even though products such as Draino can be used to remove short hair clogs, sometimes Draino doesn’t always work, leading to plugged-up pipes.
However, the best way to solve the hair blockage problem is by ensuring all the drains have mesh screens guards to catch hair. This is much easier than replacing pipes or buying a jug of chemicals to pour down the drain to clear the clog.
A clogged shower drain can cause a real issue for the family and might even lead to fights on who gets to shower first in the morning while everyone is rushing to prepare for work and school. Everyone would want to be the first to shower as the accumulated water will be too gross for the subsequent bathroom users. This scenario can be avoided, and placing something to catch the strands of hair will do the trick.
- Tree Roots
Leaks in your underground pipes may cause tree roots to grow. Once in the drainage, the seeds could quickly grow more significantly, causing pipe damage and obstruction of water flow. It’s always best to never put anything that causes blockage down the drain and avoid clearing your drain with chemicals or objects that may cause pipe bursts.
It’s best to hire a professional to remove tree roots from the pipe because removing them without damaging the whole drainage pipe can be difficult.
Addressing tree roots will not just keep your pipes intact but will also help in preventing damage to your floors. Tree roots that’ll grow exponentially might want to push their way up affecting your flooring. This will begin to manifest through small cracks and eventually gets more prominent.
- Soap Scum
Soap residue can cause soap scum to form in the drain line, and bar soaps, in particular, often leave a thin film on your pipes. Bar soaps are made from grease and fats, which, when it mixes with mineral water, form a hard residue that stays in the line causing it to clog.
Change the type of soap you use, then have your pipes cleaned to remove soap scum from building up.
Keeping a stock of a strong drain cleaner can also help melt the accumulated soap scum on your bathroom drain.
- Paper Towels Or Napkins
Paper towels or napkins are not meant for toilet use, and they’re too thick to be flushed down the pipes. It’s one of the reasons your toilet keeps clogging. Most people tend to assume that it can be a good toilet paper substitute because it’s softer and lighter. To prevent this from happening, always keep a good stock of bathroom tissue on your toilet.
- Debris And Dirt
People think that all dirt should be washed away through the drain and pipes. But when there is excess dirt in the gutter, it can easily cause blockage. Clean the dirt or mud outside before rinsing in the drain to avoid issues with the pipes.
When cleaning mud clots in the shower, small weeds and stones may go undetected. The more pebbles that go down the drain, the more damage the interiors suffer.
This is extremely important, so keeping a close watch on your kiddos is imperative in the bathroom. Sometimes when they play, they’re unaware of the effects of the things they bring inside the home or flush down the toilet. Their small undeveloped minds don’t understand the implication so watching over them is crucial.
- Small Objects
This mostly happens in homes with children. As they grow, they become more curious about things or wear extra stuff like earrings, necklaces, rings, and bangles. Like food particles, these objects can get caught in the sink or shower drainage and can prevent water flow over time because of the build-up culprits.
If an object is trapped down the drain, just trace it and take the thing out.
- Grease
Grease, like hair, sticks to anything it comes across, allowing culprits to build up in the drain. Grease is like a magnet. It attracts all small objects and food products that go down the drain and lead to a massive layer of clogs that can be hard to remove by yourself. Prevent this from happening by washing greasy stuff outside the sink.
Conclusion
Preventing clogged pipes is one way to keep everyone in your home healthy and safe. If your pipes are clogged, contaminated water may flood parts of your house, including the basement, and lines, which can damage your home.
It turns out that some of the culprits that are responsible for clogged drains are listed above.