Regular Household Items that Cause Clogging

Posted on Posted in Plumbing

When your drain gets blocked, the usual question is how to get it fixed. You can quickly get a great plumber near Brentwood to fix the broken pipe. But another issue which you should take care to avoid having to bring in plumbers now and then to fix the fault is how the drain got clogged in the first place.

By design, your pipes and drains are meant to take in water and allow them to flow through without obstruction, but with the use other things asides water gets into your drain, they could potentially build up into a clog and stop water from flowing as freely as it ought to. They are usually, regular household items that you make frequent use of regularly and might inadvertently get into drains and lead to clogs without you knowing. To avoid repeated plumbing issues here are some things you should avoid flushing down the drain.

 

Grease

Grease is one of the most notorious items that cause drain clogs, oil will flow freely down the drain when it is still warm, but as it cools inside the pipe, it solidifies and forms a clog trapping other kinds of stuff that gets into the tube. Rather than wash oil or grease down the drain, a better alternative is to keep it in a can or jar which you can then dispose-off when it is full.

 

Cement, Grout or Joint Compound

Joint compounds and some special cement can get hardened up even under water. They are therefore not god materials to flush into your drains no matter the quantity unless you want to end up with a solid hard clog that is always difficult to get remove. Sand is also bad for your drains. It settles quickly in your pipes and clogs it up. To get rid of rinse water containing cement, grout, mortar and other setting materials, leave the water until the substantial part settle out then you can decant and get rid of the sludge in the garbage tank.

 

Hair

Hair might appear insignificant, but the combination of hair and soap can set up a clog in the shower drain that will cost you some money to clear up. Thus it is advisable that you prevent hair from getting into the drain as much as you can. You can prevent hair from getting into your drain by using mesh screens.

 

Food Waste

While grinding up your waste food in a disposer and washing it down the drain might seem like a pleasant idea, but in reality, it can lead to clogging and should be avoided. You can get rid of waste food along with other organic waste around the house by using a composite pile.

 

Dental Floss and Other Personal Care Products

Pieces of Stuff like dental floss might go down the drain alright, but they snagged up by other things in the drain pipe and not make it down to the sewer. They also don’t decompose quickly and will remain for long in the pipe and cause a nasty clog.

If at the end of the day you end up with a clogged drain, you may call a Brentwood plumber for a clogged drain. Your plumber might need to carry out a drain snake to get rid of the clog and get your water flowing out freely again.

 

READ MORE: Toilet Care: How To Keep Your Toilet Pipes from Getting Clogged