Drain cleaning is one of the most commonly ignored household tasks. Insufficient drain maintenance can cause nasty odors, tough clogs, and even damaged pipes in your house. The majority of homeowners makes these basic mistakes that end up costing them hundreds of dollars or more in repairs moving forward. Boston Drain Company professionals compiled the list of these common things to avoid when drain cleaning.
Origination of a Drain Problem
Averting a problem in the first place is the key factor to preventing the worst drain and sewer problems. Maintenance of kitchen and bathroom drain fixtures is often overlooked until there’s already a clog or particularly foul odor. Regular, preferably monthly inspections are a must for early detection of any issues. Check the pipes underneath kitchen and bathroom sinks for discoloration or corrosion, is there’s an odor and how quickly the water runs down.
Once every year, have a full inspection done by an experienced professional. The certified and experienced professionals at Boston Drain Company have the tools and know how to spot issues that you may not be able to detect on your own, especially in areas where visual inspection of your pipes would be difficult or impossible to conduct.
Overusing Chemical Drain Cleaners
Liquid drain chemicals advertise the product as the best remedy to a drain clog. In many cases, they make the situation even worse by provoking more issues deep in the pipes, which would require a more expensive repair. Indeed, this liquid is effective in unclogging your drain or toilet, as the harsh chemicals dissolve blockages of hair and other soluble items. However, the concentration of these chemicals in a long term with corrode the pipes, creating leaks and breakages, which by far become a bigger problem to a homeowner. In order to dissolve a minor clog, try using hot water with baking soda and vinegar instead. If that doesn’t help, you can resort to a drain snake or drain auger to break up the clog down in the pipes.
Sticking More Things Down the Pipe
Don’t trust all DIY projects you find online. Making a drain clearing tool from a coat hanger or a broom handle is not a good idea, it it can create more problems than fix. If you just push against the clog down the drain, it doesn’t guarantee that you’ll be able to disassemble the clog and not relocate it further down. Worst case scenario, your pipes risks breaking. A hanger could only work if you’ll be able to reach the clog relatively close to the drain access and manage to pull the clog out. Using purpose-built tools to clear clogs and following their use instructions will be safer and more effective than using a jury-rigged solution. If you cannot clear a clog on your own using a drain snake or plunger, please call us before the drain floods your home. Boston Drain Company is available 24/7/365.
Flushing Wrong Things
Make sure you don’t flush something that could clog your drain. Hair is the most common clogging cause as it doesn’t dissolve or biodegrade easily. Use the hair trap in your shower and tub fixtures to prevent a hair clog.
Despite its deceiving name, flushable wipes are not designed to be flushed. They don’t disintegrate the way regular toilet paper does, and cause millions in repairs every year.
Cooking grease and animal fat should be trashed rather than flushed down your kitchen sink. Grease and oil can adhere to the walls of the pipes, restricting flow and making it easier to clog.