Dos and Don’ts of Home Drains: Preventing and Dealing With Clogs

Clogged drains are one of the most common, and most annoying, problems a homeowner can face. While a clogged drain can be caused by a variety of factors, it’s important to know how to handle it. This article is going to discuss a few common “dos and don’ts” of preventing and dealing with a clogged drain.

Dos

Use a drain filter: Using a drain filter is perhaps the quickest and easiest way to prevent drain clogs. Whether it’s in the kitchen sink or in the shower, a drain filter will prevent things like large food remnants and hair from going down the drain in the first place. This can significantly reduce the chance of dealing with a clogged drain because the larger items that usually cause clogged drains won’t have the opportunity to make it into the drain.

Run the garbage disposal: If you have a garbage disposal in your kitchen sink, use it! Garbage disposals are designed to prevent clogs and keep things moving down the drain. If food remnants do enter the drain, running the garbage disposal with some water should help break them up and keep them moving.

Hire a plumber: Drain cleaning is generally something that should be handled by a professional. If you have a serious clog, don’t attempt to handle it by yourself. Homeowners don’t have the same tools that are used by plumbing services — and using the wrong tools can do more harm than good.

Don’ts

Use chemical drain cleaners: Acidic drain cleaners can do significant damage to your pipes. And if your pipes are around the average age of 47 years old, using drain cleaners could lead to needing to replace your pipes. Because of this, always hire plumbing companies to get the job done right. They have the tools and products to efficiently clear a clogged drain without causing more damage.

Pour grease down the drain: While many people think they can put anything and everything down the drain, that’s not the case at all. Greasy substances will not only cause backups, but they can actually coat the siding of your pipes and cause serious issues. So greasy products should be thrown away.

Hopefully, this article gave you some good tips on handling your drains. With some simple preventative methods, and a plumber’s number on speed dial, you should be prepared to handle any drain clog that comes your way.