Does it seem like, when a drain clogs in your house, it always happens at the most inconvenient possible time? It’s never a good time to have plumbing that doesn’t work, but it’s definitely worse when guests are about to come over, or you’re trying to celebrate a holiday or relax on a long weekend.
Wouldn’t it be nice if you could avoid that situation altogether? We’ve got some tips that could help you prevent drain clogs. You won’t have to worry about what to do if they happen if you make sure they don’t happen!
Step 1: Don’t Put That Down There!
Clogs are rarely caused by a single item going down a drain. Instead, they develop from the slow accumulation of small amounts of substance at a time. If you can avoid letting certain things go down your drains, that buildup won’t be able to happen.
- FOG: This stands for fats, oils, and grease. It might seem like a liquid when you wash it down the sink with your dishwater, but it will solidify when it cools. Imagine gradually filling your plumbing with something that will become as hard as a cold stick of butter! Don’t do it. Wipe your greasy dishes down before you wash them. Use a paper towel and throw it in the trash.
- Hair: One of the biggest problems shower drains face is hair. This stuff is tough and doesn’t break down. Do yourself a favor and get a simple mesh shower drain cover. It’ll deal with that hair so your plumber doesn’t have to.
- Soap Scum: If you’ve ever left your shower too long without cleaning it, you know how solid this stuff can get. The mesh shower drain cover will definitely help catch a good bit of it. But the real trick here is that if you have hard water, the soap scum will accumulate more. (You’ll also have layers of scaling from the hard water minerals.) If this is a real issue for you, consider a water softening system.
- Non-Flushables: Don’t believe the packaging: those wipes aren’t really flushable. Don’t put anything down your toilet but human waste and toilet paper. No paper towels, no dental floss, no sanitary products, and definitely no rubber ducks! (Keep a close eye on curious toddlers when they’re near the toilet and other drains.)
Step 2: Get Professional Help
Yes, we did say we could help you avoid clogged drains before they happen. And a regularly scheduled visit from a qualified plumber in Marana, AZ could prevent an emergency visit from a plumber charging holiday weekend prices! Having preventive cleaning done to your drain and sewer pipes once a year could mean never dealing with a clog again.
Using just pressurized water, your plumber can blast away the buildup, whether it’s FOG, hair, soap scum, mineral scaling, or something else. It won’t have a chance to get to the point of a total clog. Doing this as part of your regular home maintenance could save you a huge amount of inconvenience and stress.
Whether you’ve already got a plumbing problem that needs to be addressed, or you want to talk about preventive maintenance or a water softening system, we’d be delighted to help.
Contact Picture Rocks Cooling, Heating & Plumbing today to schedule an appointment with our professionals.