Author: Brian Ashworth March 24, 2022

Guest Post by Simon Wang

Clogged drains can be a pain, and most times, people don’t notice how nice it is to have free pipes until a clogged situation happens.

Though it’s quite easy to pick up your phone and call a plumber, it’s better to be aware of what can clog your drain and how to prevent it from happening.

Culprits Of Clogged Drains

Clogged drains don’t happen immediately.

Most times, these items only clog your drain when they build up over a long time.

At this point, the only solution would be to call a plumber like Brisbane drain plumbers.

However, if you already know what can clog your pipe, you can prevent it before it becomes destructive. Here are five common culprits of clogged drains.

Small Objects

Small objects that can clog your drain can range from things like rings, bracelets, stray Lego pieces, dice, and so on.

Whatever isn’t supposed to go down there (and is solid) is tagged as a small object.

Although, one ring can’t clog your pipe. However, when two, three, or more small objects keep running down the drain, they can clog up and block the flow of water or fluid.

This can happen in the shower, kitchen sink, and most commonly, the toilet.

Dirt

It’s good to wash off the dirt in your hands and feet in the shower or the washbasin. Nonetheless, you should know that excess debris or dirt can and will clog the drain except you have a different drainage system that doesn’t involve pipes.

So, what do you do? Instead of bringing your mud-infested feet straight into the shower, wash or rinse some dirt off outside first.

That way, you can lengthen the lifespan of your drain.

Food Remnants

Yes, the temptation to flush it all down the drain is rather inviting but the repercussion is costly.

There are some things you should never flush down a kitchen sink, no matter what.

Things like cooking oil, fruit peels especially orange and banana, meat fat, eggshells, onion peel, and any large chunk of a food item.

Paper

No drain or sink should swallow any kind of paper, except the toilet (in which case, only toilet paper is allowed).

You would be mistaken to believe that paper thins out when wet and so it can easily go down the drain.

This isn’t true.

The pieces of paper get stuck to the walls of the drain until they clog up and block the flow.

Hair

This is the most common enemy of drainage systems.

But just like dirt, it’s almost hard to prevent totally.

Wet hair can build up over time to become a dangerous ball of hair.

This hair build-up can then clog a drainage pipe almost completely.

What’s worse is that it’s the hardest clog culprit to get rid of.

What To Do About Them?

The answer is straightforward!

The only thing you can do to get rid of clogs is by cleaning your pipe.

When you have a complete block, it’s time to call the plumber to help you look at your pipes to get rid of the blockage.

But if things aren’t too intense yet, there are some first-aid treatments you can do that can save your drainage pipes.

1. Use a classic cloth hanger to ‘fish’ out clogged materials. By straightening the hanger to create a small hook, you can pass it through the drainage to fish out a few items that might be blocking your drain.
2. Put a screen or special filter on top of the drain either in the shower or washbasin. That way, the hair stays on top of the screen while the water goes through the drain.
3. Use the baking soda and vinegar combo. First, you’ll pour hot or boiling water down your drain and follow with a good amount of baking soda. Then mix a cup of white vinegar in water and pour it down the drain. That should do the trick.
4. A wet or dry vacuum can also work wonders. Simply use it to suck in the clogs from your drain the way you suck the dirt off the floor.
5. Plungers! It’s the obvious solution for a clogged drain because they’re designed primarily to unclog a drain. However, make sure that the plunger you’re using is correspondent to the size of the drain so that things can be easier.

Conclusion

Disturbance or interrupted flow isn’t the only reason you should worry about a clogged drain.

It’s known that when a pipe has been blocked for too long, it can burst somewhere else and destroy something even bigger (like the building for instance).

It can also decrease the durability of the pipe and the entire drainage system.

Hence you need to know what causes a clogged drain and what to do about it.

If it’s difficult to deal with, you can also call plumbing services or issues that you can’t and do.

Author Bio
Simon Wang is a home improvement expert. He offers quality services to his clients and makes sure that they are satisfied with his work. Simon loves swimming and playing basketball in his free time.