Once you’ve had to deal with seriously clogged drains in your home, you’ll never want to go through that experience again. Keeping the drains in your home clean requires attention and care. At a minimum, you have to watch what you put down there, stop items from mistakenly falling in, and not let the drains and disposal lie dormant.
Don’t Let Fats, Oils, and Grease Go Down the Drain
If you decide to do only one thing to maintain your home’s drains, let it be this: Do not put fats, oils, or grease into the drain. Wipe out pans before washing, wipe off utensils before washing, pour unwanted grease onto paper towels in the trash, and recycle unused cooking oil. When fats, oils, or grease go down the drain, they eventually solidify and start to clog up the pipes. Even if you run the hot water while putting the substance down the drain, you can still end up with a clog later on. Small amounts will add up, too; don’t rinse peanut butter off a knife; instead, wipe it off first.
What’s really bad about this is that a clog from fats, oils, and grease forms deep in the drainage system. That necessitates rather serious repair as the plumber has to try to reach far into the network of pipes to clear the clog.
Use a Drain Net or Hair Catcher
Hair catchers should go in the tub and in bathroom sinks; a wide drain net should go in the kitchen sink drain. These catch hair (of course) and anything that’s relatively large, stopping them from going into the drain where they could contribute to clogs.
If you have a garbage disposal, it’s especially important to use a drain net. The garbage disposal can’t grind up everything, and placing inappropriate items like pits or bones can jam up the disposal, leading to another clog. A drain net stops those items from falling into the drain accidentally.
Run Your Disposal Regularly
A common source of drain clogs and debris buildup is right at your garbage disposal. What happens is that very small bits of food debris slip under the drain net, landing in the disposal. Over time, if you’re not running the disposal, the bits of food dry out and cause the impellers in the disposal to freeze. Water has a harder time getting past the buildup, leading to a backed-up drain. So, even if you think nothing is getting into the sink drain, run that disposal regularly.
Clogged Drains Need Professional Help
If you need drain cleaning services in Warminster, PA, contact Eagle Drains to make an appointment. We can clear out drains in your house as well as sewer lines outside and fix plumbing that could be contributing to clogs. When you call our plumber in Warrington, PA, you’ll get professional service that ensures your home’s drains stay clear.
