Blocked drains might seem a common and small issue faced by homeowners and these can cause much bigger problems and at a time a chaos like situation. Severe blockage can lead to breakage or cracking of pipes and embarrassing clogs even cause leakage of water from the drains. If the problem is not addressed at proper time, it can prove to be a costly and time-consuming process and it can create structural damage.
Here are a few reasons that cause blocked drains and solutions to remove the blockage.
Causes of clogged drains:
1. Tree leaves: During the fall season your garden yards become debris of tree leaves and many a time we end up thinking that these will be in the gardens. But if rain pours, the leaves are dragged down to the drains and it will eventually block the drainage system. Sometimes root ingress affects sewer system and blocks the flow of water and causes leakage as a good source of water is needed by tree roots.
2. Grease and fat: Bathroom and kitchen sink are almost the same so if you are washing fatty substances then it gets stuck somewhere inside the pipe and blocks the flow of liquids or small waste. You should avoid washing down these as the blocked drains problem occurs when the pipe is completely jammed.
3. Hair: The common nuisance caused by hair blocks showers and sinks. Hairs are small in size but after repeated flushing, the mass clogged the drainage system and it can cause a complete back-up. You must prevent or fix the problem at its first place to avoid pipe replacement.
4. Foreign objects: Blocked drains due to foreign objects minimize the pressure because of these objects scum on the walls of pipes. Children toys, baby wipes, soaps, toilet paper causes clogging of drains.
5. Toiletries: Another common cause of blocked drain is because of sanitary items and toiletries.
6. Storms and Heavy Rains: Rains are normally not designed to take the full impact of the bad weather and during heavy rainfall; water can get collected as it can’t pass a large amount of water.
How to fix this:
1. Wire Hanger: This wire hanger works wonderfully to get an effective result. You can wash out all nasty stuff like hair, toiletries etc. Even you can run hot water to fix such a mess.
2. Vinegar and baking soda: You can mix 1/3rd cup of vinegar with same quantity of baking soda and can pour it down immediately. You should keep it overnight and then flush the junk away with hot water.
3. Vacuum: For treating blocked drains, you can choose this effective method of vacuum cleaning. You can easily unclog the drains and you should make sure that the drain is sealed thoroughly, the debris of paper or toiletries will get inside the vacuum bag.
4. Hot water: The easiest tip is to pour hot boiling water slowing through the sink or drain. Just repeat this procedure several times.
5. Caustic soda: It can burn the debris stuck in the drain. You can get it in any nearest hardware store and stir properly before pouring it and then leave it for at least 20 to 30 minutes and then flush with hot water.
6. Clean pipeline: If tree leaves are causing clogging, you must inspect pipe outlet and use wrench to loosen the nuts and then finally empty the clogged pipe with vacuum pressure.
These principles can be applied while cleaning blocked drains. It is advisable that grease and fat must not be disposed of in the kitchen sink and vegetable peels and food waste must be wiped before washing it. You can install a filter to avoid any mess and must flush the drains at least once in the month to have a proper drainage system.
