Tips for Preventing a Clogged Drain

That feeling of panic when you flush the toilet and realize that instead of swirling and going down, the water is instead rising…and quickly.

When you are only a minute into your shower and you notice that you are standing in a few inches of water…and you hadn’t closed the tub drain.

A clogged drain.

When things go down drains that shouldn’t (*note- those warnings about what you can flush and what you can’t aren’t just there for fun), the plumbing pipes can get clogged and cause the water to back up.

When drains are clogged things can get messy, smelly, inconvenient, and it can even be dangerous for your health.

What Health Risks do Clogged Drains Pose?

Bacteria growth

Most water that goes down toilets, showers, and kitchen sinks is often dirty.  When a drain is clogged that dirty water becomes stagnant, allowing for bacteria to grow and multiply.  This bacteria can end up making you and your family sick.

Suddenly clearing out the drain seems like it should move up on the to-do list, right?

How to Prevent Clogged Drains

The best defense is a good offense.  You can prevent having a clogged drain by following these tips:

• Only flush toilet paper and human waste down the toilet.  If you have young children, make sure that they are aware of this, or put a lock over the toilet lid in order to prevent them from using the toilet as a swimming pool for their toys.
• Be careful of what goes down the kitchen drain. Things like fat from meat will eventually harden, build up, and clog the drain.  If you don’t have a garbage disposal, leftover food waste should be thrown in the trash or used for compost.  If you do have a garbage disposal, you still need to be cautious with what goes down.  Read here for more tips about the garbage disposal.
• Use a drain screen in your shower. These mesh screens will collect hair and large pieces of soap before they make their way down your home’s drain.  Just remember to clean out the screen after your shower.

Even with the best prevention, we can still end up with a clogged drain.  If that happens you can try to manually remove clogs with plungers, coat hangers, drain cleaners, baking/soda vinegar combinations etc… If the clog is severe, contacting a licensed plumber is your best option.

For more information about residential plumbing services, contact FLAME!