To avoid plumbing clogs there is one rule to follow right off the bat: be aware of what you put down the drain.
For example, you want to avoid the obvious culprits in kitchen clogs. We know the easy thing to do is just pour anything down the drain but for example, plumbing pipes were not designed to handle large amounts of grease. If you’re thinking of pouring leftover kitchen grease down the drain, refrain from doing so. Instead, collect the grease in a sealable container and toss it out later when it is full. Grease will accumulate over time and prevent even water from draining properly. DO NOT resort to chemical products for a quick fix. These products do work but over time, it will damage your plumbing system and the cost to replace it is not worth it. They are also terrible for the environment. Instead, do the following:
Pour hot water down your drains at least once a week. Why? The hot water will break up any build up grease or just about any other substance that may have fallen down there. In the bathroom, contacts, makeup, and hair will stick to the walls of the pipes and turn into gunk. Pouring hot water once a week will prevent major clogs down the line that will end up requiring professional help to get rid of. This will keep your pipes working well year-round.
In Dallas, we all love to cook. In the kitchen, our drains take all kinds of abuse. We should be more careful and aware of what we dispose of there. More often than not, we tend to throw just about anything down the drain because we think our garbage disposals can take care of them; however, this is not the case.
Food That Should Go Straight in the Trash
- Pasta
- Potato Peels
- Large Bones
- Banana Peels
- Onion Skins
- Very fibrous vegetables
- Grease
- Egg Shells
- Very Small Sized Bones
Here’s a big tip. Don’t be afraid to leave the water running 10-15 seconds after the last thing you see go down your drain. The water will help clear your pipes of any residue that might be left. We are usually in a rush that we shut off the water immediately leaving all kinds of substances to dry and form into gunk which later prevents our plumbing systems from draining properly.
Over the history of Metro-Flow Plumbing, you can only imagine the things that we have pulled out of clogged pipes. The list would be too long to list but our certified plumbers are definitely up to the challenge! Dallas keeps us on our toes and we’ve had the pleasure to provide plumbing services in the Dallas area for so long now because of it.
Fear not Dallas, Metro-Flow Plumbing has your back. We’ll be back with another blog later this month and hope you guys are back to learn more about your home’s plumbing. We are excited to pass on knowledge every month here on our blog. Let us know what you think or what you’d like to know more about and we’ll be happy to oblige.
