Why Your Water Drains are Blocked
Blocked water drains are a pain in the neck. Apart from the annoying inconvenience they may cause, blocked water drains create a foul atmosphere, one congenial for bacteria duplication, which ultimately leads to disease spread.
When you find that water starts to drain slowly or pipes begin to gurgle, and there’s a persistent unpleasant odor, those are indicators of blocked drainage requiring immediate attention.
And the fact is, every homeowner would have to deal with this unpleasant occurrence once or twice in life.
There are several reasons why water drains get blocked. More often than not, it’s the presence of tissues, sanitary pads, nylon materials, or clothes. It could also be the build-up of grease, bar soaps, tufts of hair, debris, and tree roots. Knowing the leading cause of blocked drains could help you avert repeated blocks and needless fixing expenses.
A competent drain cleaning service company could also be of immeasurable help when blocked drains start to become a nuisance. There are several reputable companies in Australia that provide assured quality services, so you don’t pay twice to fix a shoddily done job. You can find such companies by merely typing the words blocked drains Brisbane, in Google’s search bar.
That said, here’s a closer look at the significant reasons for blockages and some helpful tips to avoid and solve them.
Hair Clusters
When soap and water are washed off the body while showering, hair particles are not left out. Over time, these particles accumulate and start to limit water flow until completely clogging your drain. Hair build-up is one of the leading causes of blocked drains and does not require much effort to fix.
Removing hair clusters periodically with gloved hands can help prevent the total blockage of drains. Pick up tufts of hair once you begin to notice accumulation on drain surfaces. Alternatively, you can purchase a drain cleaning device or hair removal chemicals to eliminate hair clusters. A drain spider is one of many such tools from which you can choose. However, when purchasing drain cleaning equipment, be sure to buy only proven and tested devices, because inefficient tools can worsen the problem. It’s best to get rid of hair tufts before entering into drainpipes, thereby increasing hair removal difficulty. If the problem persists after using drain cleaning devices, you might want to seek expert services.
Debris And Tree Roots
After Spring and Autumn, debris from leaves, shrubs, and dirt becomes a significant cause of blocked drains. Tree roots seeking water sources may grow toward a drain surface and eventually clog it.
The best way to prevent outdoor drain blocks is to regularly uproot plants and sweep away leaves that may clog drains if left to accumulate. Be especially careful of plants that like to grow near drains, such as magnolias and boxwood shrubs. Water trees sufficiently to prevent roots from growing toward drain surfaces in search of moisture.
Also, tree roots in the soil that cannot be seen may puncture drain pipes and obstruct water flow. DIY remedies may not be quite useful for fixing outdoor blocked water drains. It’s better to enlist experts’ help and have them use a specialist pipe relining equipment to address blockage issues should the need arise.
Grease And Oil
It may come as a surprise that grease, just like hair, can build up and cause blocked pipes and drains. Fatty substance washed down sinks tend to cling to pipes’ walls and keep building up until water can’t pass through. Because grease is gooey and sticky, attempting to wash it away with water will prove abortive.
Generally, the best way to prevent grease from blocking drains is to avoid washing fatty substances in sinks. But one may say, “isn’t the sink meant for washing plates, greasy or not?” Granted, you can wash plates with fatty substances in sinks, but if you don’t want your pipes to get blocked, you should turn all greasy stuff in dishes and pots into a paper bag or disposable receptacle before washing. Additionally, use good soaps to break down grease while washing kitchen utensils properly, so it doesn’t stick to the inside of pipes.
Toiletries
Considering the level of frequency that pipes in a home get blocked, toilet drains are number one. Nappies, soap wrappers, baby wipes, cotton wools, and tampons are significant causes of drain blockage. It’s common practice for many folks to flush toiletries down the toilet, thinking they would dissolve. Contrarily, these items, after being flushed, absorb more water and swell larger than their original sizes, blocking pipes and sewers. Using excessive rolls of toilet paper could also obstruct water flow in pipes.
Disposing of toiletries by flushing down the toilet is an unhealthy and harmful practice. When it comes to water closets, only tissue paper should go down the toilet. Other materials, no matter how small, should be disposed of in bins. Encouraging people to cultivate the right toilet practices, including everything from toilet hygiene to proper disposal of toiletries, is necessary. Blocked toilet pipe will require a plumbing solution from a competent draining service company.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it’s always best to cultivate practices that help to prevent clogged water drains. Avoid washing greasy substances into sinks, keep outdoor drains free of debris, only flush toilet rolls down the toilet. Should the problem become beyond you, seek the help of experienced plumbing companies.
