Thursday, September 28, 2017

5 WAYS TO AVOID CLOGGED DRAINS

One thing most everybody can agree upon is that indoor plumbing is a wonderful thing.  Remember there was a time not too long ago in the overall scheme of things where people relieved themselves in backyard outhouses instead of indoor bathrooms.  While we now have the luxury of toilets and sinks in our houses not taking precautions to avoid clogged drains can lead to some unpleasant experiences.  No one wants their home looking or smelling like an outhouse.  Here are five ways to avoid this plumbing problem in your house:

UTILIZE A LINT CATCHER ON YOUR WASHING MACHINE DRAINAGE HOSE

Avoid messy drain backups in your basement, laundry room or wherever else you may have a washing machine in your home by installing a lint catcher on the hose where water is discharged.  Scraps of fabric, thread, items left in pockets, and even the occasional sock can get sucked out of the washer and end up creating a blockage in your drain.  This could cause the room to flood or even cause backups throughout the rest of the house.

Picking up an inexpensive mesh lint catcher from a grocery or hardware store can potentially save you from a lot of grief.  Attach it to the end of the washing machine's drainage hose with a zip tie to keep it secure.  Don't just do this and forget about it though.  Check the lint catcher regularly and  make sure to change when full.

DON'T DUMP GREASE DOWN THE DRAIN

Warm grease leftover from cooking family meals may seem like it will rinse right through your pipes into the sewer but beware that doesn't normally happen.  Instead the grease cools and solidifies before exiting your house creating a clog.  The clog will then get bigger and bigger as other things make their way through the pipe and get stuck in the congealed grease. 

This can become a big headache and expensive repair when you could have just avoided pouring grease down the kitchen sink in the first place. The best way to dispose of grease is to place it in a jar or can which should then be placed in the freezer.  When garbage day comes around pull the grease out of the freezer and throw it in the trash.

KEEP POP-UP STOPPERS CLEAN

Take a look at the pop-up water stopper in your bathroom sink.  It is probably covered with hair, dental floss and other icky stuff.  Allowing buildup underneath the pop-up stopper causes multiple problems.  First of all that in itself can clog the drain causing the sink to empty slowly or not at all. Second, when water flow from the sink is slowed by a dirty pop-up stopper than there often isn't adequate pressure to flush other things out further down the pipe making it easy for additional clogs to occur along the route to the sewer.  Being proactive in keeping pop-up stoppers clean is one of the best ways to keep the water flowing properly in bathroom sinks.

DON'T TREAT YOUR TOILET LIKE A GARBAGE CAN

Lots of people figure if they flush something down the toilet it goes away.  Just because an item disappears from the bowl though doesn't mean it was swept out to the sewer.  Often times things flushed down the toilet get snagged and caught in your home's pipes causing clogs.  Just don't do it.  Only flush excrement and toilet paper.

DIY CLOG REMOVAL

If you have stubborn clogs caused by soap scum, grease and other gunk blocking up your drains try one of Roto-Rooter's Drain Care products before calling a plumber to snake them out. It is an easy and affordable way to fix the problem.  Roto-Rooter's clog removers have the precise viscosity to power through what has plugged up your drain.  In addition to being useful in bathrooms this product is also great for kitchen sinks because in addition to not harming pipes it also can be used without worrying about damaging a garbage disposal.  Note though that neither of these products are meant to be used for stopped up toilets or pipes that are blocked by tree roots.



Roto-Rooter Hair Clog Remover is a go to item I've used to deal with a bathroom sink in our house that my wife and daughter brush their hair over and where I shave at that kept backing up.  It was really easy to use. Just poured 1/4 of the bottle down the drain, wait 10 minutes, then flush out the plumbing with hot water.  Whoosh simple as that the water ran straight through the drain and the clog was gone!



Wow that really was impressive!  No more having to continually pour and flush the drain over and over again as I've experienced with other liquid clog removers in the past or having to spend a half hour or an hour trying to scrape the hair all out of the pipe myself by hand with a snake.  Of course we won't even go into the expense of having a plumber come out to fix the problem.  Using Roto-Rooter Clog Remover was a quick, efficient and clean way to accomplish a task that can be a pain to deal with.



Roto Rooter also has products to help efficiently clear out other gunk beyond hair that accumulates in the pipes draining out of your home's bathtubs, showers, and sinks.  For more information and to check out all their product options, please visit rotorooter-products.com

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