Why Do My Drains Get Clogged? | Insight from Your Trusted Memorial City, TX Drain Cleaning Service Provider
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When you own a home, there are so many little things you have to keep an eye on. One of the most important things to keep an eye on is your plumbing system; one bad plumbing problem could cost you thousands in repairs. In particular, it’s important to make sure you’re not letting your drains get clogged and backed up. While you can call a drain cleaning service to help unclog the drains in your Memorial City home, it’s important to understand why those clogs are happening so you can prevent them. Here’s what you need to know about common drain clog causes and how you can avoid calling a drain cleaning service too often.
Kitchen Clogs
In terms of where clogs are most likely to occur in your home, the kitchen is a common spot. The biggest mistake that most people make is thinking they can put anything down their kitchen sink drain simply because they have a garbage disposal. The truth is, your garbage disposal is designed as a second line of defense and using it too much will lead to calling a drain cleaning service.
You should always throw solid food in the garbage rather than putting it down the disposal. If you’re dealing with wet food that’s difficult to throw away, you can install a strainer in your sink to get rid of as much liquid as possible before throwing it away. Additionally, there are some things you should never put down your garbage disposal no matter what. Some of the foods that commonly cause problems for garbage disposals include egg shells, coffee grounds, bones, fruits and vegetables and fats and greases. These items should always go in the garbage.
Bathroom Clogs
Bathrooms are another common spot for clogs to occur because they’re used so often. On top of that, there are several drains in the average bathroom that may become clogged, so it’s even more difficult to keep them all clean.
Drain cleaning services often get called out to homes to deal with shower clogs. Most of the time, your shower will drain fast enough that water won’t pool up while you’re taking a shower. If you notice the water pooling up to your ankles or higher during the time it takes you to shower, the drain is running slow and needs to be unclogged. This can be prevented by installing a strainer to catch soap and hair that can cause clogs when it gets deeper in your drain.
Bathroom sink clogs are generally caused by the same thing as shower clogs: soap and hair. Again, you can install a strainer to keep some of this gunk out of your drains and keep them clear for longer. You might also want to avoid shaving in the sink if you can, or placing a bag over the sink to catch hair as you shave.
Toilet clogs are often caused by putting the wrong things down your toilet. Any good drain cleaning service will say you should only flush toilet paper and natural waste down the toilet. Things like flushable wipes, cotton swabs and makeup products can cause drains that are tough to get out down the line.
Drain Cleaners
If you notice a drain in your Memorial City home starting to slow down a bit, you might consider reaching for a drain cleaner to unclog it. As tempting as this might be, it’s important to make sure you’re using the right one. Chemical-based drain cleaners such as Drano may be the most popular, but they’re far from the best option when it comes to cleaning your drains.
You should always use an enzyme-based drain cleaner to get rid of clogs in your pipes. Chances are you won’t be able to do too much about a bad clog without calling a drain cleaning service, so the least you can do is avoid causing damage. These enzyme-based cleaners are designed to eat away at organic matter without eating away at the material your pipes are made of.
The problem with chemical-based cleaners is that they can cause damage to pipes that far exceeds the damage any drain clog could cause. If you use a product like Drano for years, you could end up having to spend thousands to replace a drain pipe that otherwise wouldn’t have needed replacing for decades. If you’re not going to call a drain cleaning service right away, at least make sure you’re using the right cleaner.
Drain Cleaning Services
When a clog gets too bad, there’s not a lot you can do to get rid of it on your own. Instead, you’ll have to hire a professional drain cleaning service to manually remove the clog. There are multiples ways to remove clogs from pipes.
In some cases, a plumber may simply run a snake or auger down a drain to try to knock out any clogs. Other times, you may need to have a camera run through the drain pipe to find the clog and remove it more carefully. In any case, it’s best to call a professional drain cleaning service anytime you’ve got a clog you can’t get rid of with consistent enzyme-based drain cleaner use. If you leave a clog alone, it could cause problems with your drainage system and eventually lead to a sewage backup.
Get Help Today
Nobody wants to deal with the annoyance of clogged pipes, and there’s a lot you can do to prevent them. As a homeowner, you need to make sure you’re taking good care of your drains to keep them from getting clogged.
Unfortunately, plumbing problems happen even when you try your best. If you’ve got a drain clog you’re having trouble dealing with at your Memorial City home, bluefrog Plumbing + Drain of West Houston is here to lend a helping hand. Give us a call at (346) 262-0129 and we’ll help you get your drain unclogged and return to normal life.