How to Prevent Clogs in Your Drains

How to Prevent Clogs in Your Drains

Have you ever watched helplessly as the water in your sink just won’t go away or do you often find yourself ankle-deep in water when having a shower? If yes, then you might have a blocked drain on your hands. People usually deal with this by grabbing a plunger, but there are things you can do to prevent this from ever happening. Here’s how you can get rid of clogged drains once and for all.

Keep them clean

The best way to fight clogged drains is to keep them clean. Since drains aren’t exactly super visible, we usually think about them only when there’s a draining problem. But, if you only take a few minutes a week and pay some attention to them, the whole issue of clogs can be completely avoided. First, be mindful of what you flush down the drains. If you don’t have a habit of flushing food or too much debris, you’ll be good, but otherwise, you’ll need to roll up your sleeves and start cleaning. The bathtub drain and kitchen sink are especially prone to clogging, so pay special attention to them. Regularly lift up the pop-up stopper in the bath or bathroom sink, pull out the hair and debris, rinse everything and voila!

Clean your garbage disposal

Once or twice a month you might want to peek into your garbage disposal. You can remove the grease and slime from the sides by getting a disposer brush or simply by grinding up some ice and table salt. After you think the coast is clear, flush everything with water and finish off with lemon for the fresh smell!

Employ a cleaner solution

A good bacterial cleaner will help you keep your drains clean and clog-free. Just make sure to opt for a brand that is 100% biodegradable and non-corrosive. Such drain cleaners are much safer and more eco-friendly than chemical ones, which means that they won’t damage your pipes.

Don’t neglect your outdoor drains

Your outdoor drains should also be kept clean. In Australia, most outdoor drains get blocked by tree roots and these are not so easy to remove unless you have a proper gear and experience. However, there are companies that can quickly and easily fix blocked drains in Sydney using high-pressure water jets. If you hire these pros every six to twelve months, you’ll never see your drains get blocked by annoying roots and there will be no more floods in your backyard.

Employ debris guards

Sink strainers can be annoying, but they actually serve a great purpose of protecting your drains from blockages. So, keep them in place and clean them regularly. There are also bath hair catchers that prevent hair clumps from going down the drain, and they are super cheap.

Change your bad habits

Most hair that gets caught in the drain was loose even before you stepped into the shower. So, try to comb your hair before you get in to prevent it from ending up in your drain. So, hair will still go down, but you’ll manage to reduce that amount.

Compost instead of disposing

One easy way to keep your garbage disposal drain clean is to decrease the number of times you use it. Instead of putting everything in the garbage disposal, create a composting bin. Once the compost is ready, use it in your garden or even sell it to your neighbors.

Once your drains are clean and debris-free, you should do your best to keep them that way. It might seem like a bother to check for clogs every week, but once it becomes a habit, you’ll never have to deal with another drain blockage again!

Guest Contributor, Cooper Klein

How to Deal with Common Plumbing Emergencies

How to Deal with Common Plumbing Emergencies

Most home-owners shy away from problems connected to plumbing. However, unless you are faced with a pipe bursting, a massive sewage backup, a flooding or a broken water line, these emergencies are not as serious as you might think, and you can deal with them yourself. To learn how to fix the problem, here is how you can deal with the most common plumbing emergencies, without calling a professional.

Clogged Sink

Whether in your kitchen or bathroom, a serious clog in your sink can cause a complete stop to your daily activities. It is not a high-emergency situation, since you can turn off the faucet, but it will need your attention. A sink clog can be caused by numerous substances, most notably by mildew, soap scum and food particles. If you notice a slow drain, you can make a homemade drain cleaner to get rid of the clog. However, in severe cases, you will need to unscrew the pipe from the drain and de-clog the pipes manually.

Clogged Bathtub or Shower Drain

Soap scum and hair buildup can are also the most common causes of clogged bathtub and shower drains. If you notice the water rising during a shower, or notice strange sound as the water recedes, you are faced with a clog. Use the same de-clogging solutions as with a sink clog, and if the problem persists call a specialist who can dismantle the tub and fix the clog properly.

Clogged Toilet

A toilet making strange noises, refusing to flush, or water leaking from the toilet tank or bowl, are all signs that your toilet might be clogged. In case this happens, you should use a plunger to push the blockage out of the pipe, repeating the action until you resolve the clog. A clogged toilet can lead up to structural damage and raw sewage backups, so when you get the chance, contact your local plumber.

Leaky Faucet

Leaky faucets or toilets hasten the growth of mold and development of rust in pipes, suggests a Sydney-based emergency plumber, so you should address one such issue promptly since it can damage the entire pipe system. Additionally, it can also take a substantial share of your annual water bill. To deal with the problem, use a wrench to tighten every pipe and bolt. If the faucet continues to drip, you will probably need to replace the seat washer in your faucet handle or faucet.

Leaky Water Heater

A leaky water heater is yet another plumbing problem that lose you money. The leak causes the heater to continue using both water and power to heat up the new flow of water. A cause to the leak can come from a leaky water heater valve. If the problem is not fixed, you will need to purchase a new water heater. Keep in mind, that this is a better investment than wasting money on unused heated water.

Leaky Washing Machine Hose

Albeit, the washing machine is a long-lasting, reliable appliance, the hose is usually made from rubber or plastic and does not have the same properties. First off, check all the connections between the hose, machine and water supply are tightly hooked up. If the problem is not fixed, inspect the entire length of the hose for cracks or bulges. Rust and mould are also good indicators where the leak comes from. To fix it, stop using your machine and upgrade your washing machine hose as soon as possible.

Whenever there’s a plumbing problem you are unsure of, you should contact your local professional plumber. However, you should also remember that some plumbing emergencies are easy fixes, and all you need to do is roll up your sleeves to get the job done.

Guest Contributor, Lillian Connors