No More Clogged Drains!
No one likes clogs, whether it’s a slow-draining sink, a toilet that won’t flush, or a stopped-up shower drain. There can be many causes, including hair, food waste, grease, oil, soap scum, and other debris that’s become stuck in the pipes. Having a single clogged drain is bad enough, but even worse is a clogged sewer line, which can cause problems with every drain in the home. Fortunately, preventing clogs is easier than it seems. So read on to discover three simple ways to avoid clogged drains and sewer lines and keep the plumbing system working as it should!
Get the Drains Cleaned Regularly
Professional drain cleaning is typically thought of as a way to remove clogs, but it can also be a powerful preventive measure. Professional plumbers often use a hydro-jetting machine to unclog or clean out pipes to prevent clogs. This involves feeding a hose with a special high-powered water nozzle into the drains, which breaks apart any obstructions and sprays residue off the pipe walls.
It can also be used to clean or unclog sewer lines by feeding the hydro jet hose into the home’s sewer line cleanout, which is a small access point that allows direct access to the sewer line, typically located outside the home. Hydrojet drain cleaning can remove the nasty residue that causes foul odors and clogs in drain pipes and sewer lines, making it harder for obstructions to form. The typical recommendation is to have drain cleaning done every 1-3 years, depending on how blocked the drains tend to get.
Utilize Drain Screens
A great way to help keep the drains and pipes from getting clogged between professional cleanings is to put mesh screens or hair catchers in the home’s drains. These won’t do much to capture soap scum, oils, and other grime that can accumulate on the pipe walls over time, but they will stop larger materials like hair and food waste that can get stuck and form clogs.
Mesh drain screens are inexpensive, and most types are virtually effortless for homeowners to install, so this is one of the easiest solutions to help prevent clogs homeowners can do. The screens can be used in bathtub and shower drains, kitchen sink drains, and bathroom sink drains. They just have to remember to clean them out periodically!
Minimize How Much Food Waste Goes Down the Kitchen Sink
Mesh screens are a great way to keep food waste from clogging the drain for homes without garbage disposals in the kitchen sink. However, homeowners should still avoid putting certain foods down the sink, even ones with garbage disposals, to help break food into smaller pieces.
Food waste like coffee grounds, egg shells, rice, pasta, and oatmeal can easily get stuck, cause clogs, and should never go down drains. But one of the biggest contributors to sewer line clogs are grease and cooking oil, which cool and solidify in the sewer line, forming a stubborn obstruction. Rather than pouring grease and oil down the sink, homeowners should put them in jars or containers destined for the trash bin (cooling them first, of course!). By minimizing what’s allowed to go down the drains and keeping them as clean as possible with the help of a professional plumber, homeowners can keep their lines clog-free!
About Ira Hansen and Sons Plumbing
Ira Hansen and Sons Plumbing has over three decades of experience serving Reno and the surrounding areas. They offer competitive prices, upfront service, and a preferred customer program. Call them today for drain cleaning services in Reno, NV.
