Are Your Drains Clogged? 3 Top Causes of Blocked Drains

No homeowner enjoys the experience of having blocked drains in the house because drains that are clogged reduce comfort and can be costly to fix. Clogged drains can also be a threat to your health because they cause swarming bacteria and bad odours. That means that a blocked drain is a problem that you want to avoid as much as possible or fix it as soon as possible. And to do so, you need to first learn some causes of blocked drains to bring maintenance, repair or replacement costs down.

Fat and Grease

Cooking grease from fatty foods like bacon tends to solidify as it cools. If you pour this grease down your pipes, it will cool and solidify inside your pipes. After some time, the grease will accumulate and harden, blocking the passage of water or causing complete pipe blockage.

Therefore, avoid pouring used cooking oil down the drains and find safer ways to dispose of it. Wait until the oil cools and pour it into a plastic bottle before throwing it in the trash. However, if grease ends up clogging the drains, get your plumber to use a water jet or drain snake to control the issue.

Hair

Hair may seem too delicate to cause any serious blockages, but these tiny hairs slowly accumulate in the pipes. Once hair build-up gets to a plug, it can stop the water flow completely, causing a huge problem in your house. When you notice the issue early enough, removing the hair immediately will help, but you will have a more serious problem if you don't clear it right away.

Tools such as drain spiders help remove hair build-up in the pipes, but be careful when using some devices, as low-quality products could make the issue worse. Call in your plumber to remove accumulated hair in your drains as they have the proper tools for the task.

Toiletries

Toilet paper and wet wipes are the top foreign substances that block the drainage. Though you are meant to flush toilet paper, you should never flush a large amount of it at a time. The small pieces of toilet paper can stick to each other and attach to different parts of the drainpipe, leading to blockages.

Wet wipes and diapers should never be flushed down the toilet at all. These two materials don't disintegrate in water, so they are more likely to create obstacles in the drainpipes. Therefore, encourage everyone in your house to dispose of toiletries appropriately. But if it is too late and the drains are clogged, hire an expert plumber to deal with the blockage.

It is frustrating to end up with blocked drains in your house. Therefore, prevent the items above from going down our drainpipes. However, if you experience clogging in your drains, DIY repairs can make the situation worse. Call your plumber immediately to unclog your drains using the right methods and equipment.

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