Clogs are a nuisance, and they can be expensive to fix if you let them linger. The good news is that you can use many tips and tricks to avoid clogs from forming in your home, and how to deal with clogs!
Always Have a Plunger
If you have a plunger, you're ahead of the curve! It’s an essential tool for any home. You don’t need to spend a lot of money on it—a cheap one will do the job just as well as an expensive one.
If you don't want to use chemicals or other harsh solutions that could damage pipes or leave behind unpleasant smells, using a plunger is often the best solution (and sometimes even faster). Make sure that when it comes to plungers you get the proper plunger for the drain. Toilet plungers are different from sink plungers and create different seals depending on the drain. With enough force, and consistent, yet rapid, plunges you can get rid of most clogs.
Beware of the Kitchen Sink
You're in the kitchen and you're about to wash your hands, but when you turn on the sink faucet, a clog stops the water from flowing. The last thing that anyone wants is a clogged drain in their home. They are not only an annoyance and a waste of time but can also be damaging your pipes if left unattended.
To avoid this common problem, follow these simple steps:
Use hot water to wash dishes or your hands. Hot water can help break down your dish soap to avoid buildup inside your pipes faster than if you used colder temperatures instead.
When doing any sort of cleaning around sinks (including rinsing off dishes), keep an eye out for food particles and other debris that can get stuck in drains over time—and clean those strainer baskets regularly!
Pouring down hot water into your kitchen sink drain regularly can help cut down residual grease throughout the week.
Don't Pour Grease Down Kitchen Sinks or Drains
One of the most common causes of clogged drains is cooking grease. If you pour grease down the drain, it’s going to build up in your pipes and cause them to become clogged. This is because cooking oil is much more solid than water (it’s a liquid at room temperature but turns into a solid when it gets cold). The problem with this is that when you put hot grease down the sink, it will start melting again as soon as it gets into the pipes. It can then solidify before reaching its final destination, which means that instead of flowing out through a pipe or drain hole, it sticks around inside your plumbing system, where it blocks everything else from flowing properly too!
In addition to causing clogs in your pipes and drains, unclogging organic matter like grease can also be extremely expensive if left unattended. This may not be an issue you notice frequently in the summer, but when winter rolls around, you will notice.
Use Drain Screens In Bathroom Sinks
A drain screen can effectively keep hair and other debris from clogging up your sink. They're especially useful for bathrooms, where sinks are often used for tooth brushing and makeup application, which can cause hair to get tangled in drains.
You may already have a drain screen in your bathroom, but if you don't, definitely add it to your shopping cart! Hair not only can stick all over your tile but imagine your pipes. Hair clogs can be tricky to remove as they do not easily break down and wad up tightly in pipes, causing pressure to build. A simple drain screen can help cut down on blockages.
Watch What's Going Down the Toilet
Flush only toilet paper.
Don't flush anything that isn't toilet paper.
If you're not sure whether something is toilet paper, don't use it as toilet paper in the first place.
Jokes aside, you really want to avoid flushing all trash down the toilet. While your toilet may be powerful and have great water pressure, your pipes are not invincible. Over time flushing down items other than toilet paper or waste can cling to your pipes. The most common items that can cause clogs are cotton-based hygiene products and wet wipes. Despite what packages may say, wet wipes or cotton-based products for the bathroom should not be flushed down your toilet. If the item is not biodegradable, probably not best to flush it down.
Avoid Harsh Chemical Cleaners
Avoid harsh chemical cleaners at all costs! It might sound drastic, but those cleaners are doing you more harm than good in the long run.
It's tempting to use harsh chemicals to clean out your pipes, but they can be damaging the sides of your pipes, creating an environment for plumbing issues. Cleaners not only eat away at grease and debris, they really just eat away at anything in their path, metal pipes included.
Try a Drain Cleaning Snake for Tough Clogs
If your clog is proving difficult, it’s time to call in the big guns. A drain snake is an extremely effective tool for clearing out tough clogs and can be used by homeowners as well as professional plumbers. The most important thing to remember when using a drain snake—other than not losing track of it!—is that you need to make sure that whatever clog you're trying to clear isn't too deep in the pipe. If it's way down there, there's nothing but trouble and sadness waiting for you at the end of your journey.
At McKeown Plumbing we are here to help with all your plumbing needs when you call (949) 234-6001 today!