We often talk about today’s blog topic because you would be surprised just how often we get calls about drains that are completely blocked. Many times this comes after the customer has already attempted to clear the clog themselves. We are going to discuss why trying to unclog a drain yourself is a bad idea but most importantly, we are going to talk about how to prevent drain clogs.
To avoid plumbing clogs there is one rule we always follow, simply be aware of what you are putting down there in the first place. A lot of people think their pipes can handle the strain and with enough water there will not be any issues. This could not be further from the truth.
Think of your home’s old plumbing like the digestive system of a human body. Simply because we can eat a lot of various foods, it does not necessarily mean we should. We would have all kinds of issues which will only worsen over time.
In kitchen clogs for example, you want to avoid the obvious culprits. Plumbing pipes were not made or designed to handle large amounts of grease (see, we are already connecting the dots). If you are thinking of pouring leftover kitchen grease down the drain, stop right away. Instead, we encourage you to collect the grease in a sealable container and toss it out later when it is full. Grease is terrible for your home’s pipes, regardless of how new or old they are. Grease will accumulate over time and prevent even water from draining properly. If you want more information, please read our article about What not to Put in the Garbage Disposal.
So why should you not attempt to unclog a drain yourself? Well first off, you are probably thinking about using an over the counter drain cleaner. We can not stress this more but DO NOT resort to chemical products for a quick fix. These products do work (some of the time) but over time they will damage your plumbing system. Internal erosion of your pipes when these harsh chemicals are left in them (usually as instructed) before being washed away does occur. Damaged pipes equal a higher percentage of you needing to replace them a lot sooner than you should have. The cost to replace these is not worth it. As a bonus point as to why they are bad, these over the counter drain cleaners are also terrible for the environment.
So how can I prevent clogs from forming in the first place?
Do this one simple trick at least once a week if your drains and pipes get used frequently. Pour hot water down your drains at least once a week. The hot water will break up any built up grease or just about any other mixture or substance that may have accumulated down there.
In your bathroom the common culprits are contacts, makeup, and hair among other things. These will all stick to the walls of your bathroom sink pipes and turn into gunk that is not easy to get rid of. 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. Well Metro-Flow blog person, it is too late to prevent the bad build up. It is already here. Do not fret fellow Dallasite, pick up the phone and call our office at 214-328-7371. We will walk you through what we recommend and dispatch a certified and licensed plumbing technician to come out to your place of residence to take care of the problem in no time.
We love to cook in Dallas so 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 always the case. Garbage disposals, especially new ones, can take care of A LOT of food that we throw at it but they are not impervious to all foods. Below I have compiled a list of garbage disposal food no-no’s. We will also be elaborating on these later this month on a different blog entry so keep an eye out for that.
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
And talking about this, maybe our article 10 Tips to Prevent Clogging your Sewer Line will be useful for you.
Are You A Pet Owner?
Well another common mistake people make is giving their small pets a bath in their sinks or bath tubs. Our furry member of the family won’t be paying for the pipe repair so we definitely think you should invest in a good drainer that will stop all the hair from moving through your pipe system. Pets with coarse short and long hair, as well as the various shampoos we use for our furry friends can be your plumbing’s worst nightmare.
Periodically check on the drain and clean it out while washing your pet to keep water flow from continuing. We love our customers’ furry family members and want them to keep enjoying their long, relaxing baths without it hurting their plumbing systems. Remember, convenience does not always mean we came up with a good life hack. Your sinks and shower/bath drain pipes will last a long time but only if we take care of them periodically.
Here is a tip for everyone reading this. 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 such a rush in our daily routine that we shut off the water immediately leaving all kinds of gooey substances to dry and harden forming gunk which later prevents our plumbing systems from draining properly.
Remember that in our blog we have also uploaded a guide with 5 Ways to Get Your Appliances Holiday Ready.
We have a long history here at Metro-Flow Plumbing, as you can imagine we have plenty of experience pulling out all kinds of interesting things out of clogged pipes but that is a story for another day. One thing is for sure, our certified plumbers are up to the challenge! Since 1989, we have provided the best customer support and service to the Dallas area and hope to continue to do so. Metro-Flow Plumbing has your back.
We hope you learned a bit on how to prevent drain clogs today. Also, if you had not noticed last month we kicked things into overdrive around here and are offering four blogs for your reading pleasure each month. We are excited to pass on our plumbing knowledge. Let us know what you think or what you would like to know more about and we will do our best to answer your questions. Thank you for reading plumber Dallas blog! See you next week.
