Clogged drains are common home-related problems, but they can still make homeowners panic. Imagine standing in the shower and enjoying a nice scrub, only to realize that the water slowly rises instead of properly draining. It can ruin anyone’s day in an instant. When this happens, your immediate thought would either be DIY or calling a plumber.
Most homeowners make the mistake of thinking that clogged drains and blocked pipes are minor issues. When left unsolved, these could quickly escalate into costly problems. A clogged drain can cause many other related issues that are equally annoying, such as flooding, sewage backup, corrosion and water drainage.
To prevent all of these, start by recognizing their causes. Here are the most common.
Soap
Soaps melt, so you may be wondering how these can cause plumbing problems. The thing is regular, traditional soap bars are made with either fats or grease. These will stay stuck in your pipes when combined with the minerals found in water.
To remove traces of soaps in your pipes, look for a plumber in Millcreek, Utah who can handle pipe pressure cleaning. Also, change your soap into bath washes, if you can.
Hair
Human hair, animal fur and even dental flosses can clog your shower, bathtub, laundry and bathroom drains. These can cause bigger problems because they can knot up and mix with other elements that also cause clogging, such as soap and grease. Most difficult clogging issues to handle almost always involve hair.
Toilet Paper
Unless you’re using biodegradable toilet paper, recklessly throwing them in your toilets will soon prevent them from flushing properly. If water can still run through your toilet after flushing, a plunger might help you handle the problem. You can shift the toilet paper and dissolve some of them. But if your toilet already starts filling, let the pros handle the problem.
Food Waste
Clogging due to food waste is common in kitchen sinks. These can still clog your pipes up even with proper garbage disposal. Food items such as coffee grounds and tea leaves can be difficult as they don’t melt or break down. When you don’t get your kitchen pipes cleaned, they can start to smell unpleasant, too.
Dirt
You have drains and pipes specifically for washing, but that doesn’t mean you should just let dirt go through them. When you get rid of all the excess dirt on your clothes, this could build up in your drains. So, before washing your stained, mudded clothes, shake or rinse them outside first.
Tree Roots
If you have small leaks or cracks in your underground pipes, these could be the perfect breeding ground for tree roots. Once they get into your pipes, they can grow larger really fast, and then cause pipe damage and obstructed water flow.
What’s even more damaging about this is that you won’t even notice it’s there until it’s finally time to get rid of them. This is one problem that you definitely can’t DIY. It requires rooter services that only expert plumbers can handle.
Prevent costly repairs in your plumbing system by being mindful of what literally goes in it.
