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Clogged drains might not seem like a big deal, but they can turn into a massive problem if you let them develop in your home. Over time, clogs can cause damage to pipes and lead to bad odors and other problems with your drains. The good news is, you can prevent clogged drains by making sure you’re having your drains cleaned regularly. However, hiring a drain cleaning service isn’t the only step to preventing clogged drains. If you want to make sure you’re taking the best care of your home’s plumbing, here are some tips you can use to keep your drains clear between drain cleaning service calls.
Kitchen Sink
One of the most common spots for drain clogs to occur in your home is the kitchen sink. If you’re like most people, you use your kitchen sink a lot, and you probably put some things down the drain that you shouldn’t. Even if you’ve got a garbage disposal to help break up food, you should try your best to put as much food in the garbage as possible.
Drain cleaning calls often involve cleaning a mess of food waste out of the drain pipe. Not only can regular food cause clogs in a drain pipe, some foods have an even higher tendency to do that, which can hasten the clogging process greatly. You should never throw things like egg shells, coffee grounds, greases, oils and fats, bones and pasta in your garbage disposal. The more you put things like this down your kitchen sink, the more often you can expect to have your drains cleaned.
Bathrooms
Bathrooms are another tough place to prevent clogs because pretty much everything you do in the bathroom causes clogs. The biggest thing you have to worry about when it comes to bathroom drain clogs is a combination of hair and soap. Hair and soap from showering, shaving and even washing your hands tends to build up and stick together in drains, so you need to keep it out of drains as much as possible.
The best way to avoid having to call a drain cleaning service for frequent bathroom unclogging is to install a drain catch to keep hair and soap out of the pipes. While these drain catches aren’t the most pleasant objects to clean, all you have to do is empty the hair and soap every few days to prevent clogging. Plus, they’re affordable and easy to install, making them a great alternative to spending money on a drain cleaning service every few months.
Toilets
Toilet clogs are probably the most common clogs, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t serious. Just like other types of clogs, a toilet clog can lead to an expensive drain cleaning service bill if you don’t take care of it quickly. However, your first step should be trying to prevent clogged toilets in your Chattanooga, TN, home, which is fairly simple.
The best way to prevent toilet clogs is to make sure you’re only putting toilet paper down the toilet. You might be tempted to flush a little bit of garbage while you’re in the bathroom, but toilets aren’t designed to handle that. You might also consider using flushable wipes if you feel like toilet paper isn’t doing the job, but that’s not a good choice either. Even wipes that say “flushable” right on the pack aren’t made to be flushed and will eventually lead to a drain cleaning service call.
Drain Cleaners
As a homeowner, it’s important to know how to take care of some of the little stuff when it comes to problems around the house. The good news is, that’s not too difficult when it comes to slow drains and minor clogs. Using a drain cleaner is a great way to keep clogs from building up in pipes so you don’t have to spend your hard-earned money getting them removed. However, you need to make sure you’re using the right type of drain cleaner.
The most popular drain cleaners are chemical-based cleaners such as Drano, which do a pretty good job of knocking clogs out of pipes. However, these chemical drain cleaners can also cause reactions with certain pipe materials and cause corrosion. Ultimately, it’s best to use an enzyme-based drain cleaner if you want to prevent clogs without having to spend a fortune replacing a drain pipe.
Calling a Professional
If you’ve got a smaller clog in a sink or toilet, you might be able to get it out with a plunger or drain cleaner. However, there are some clogs that require the help of a drain cleaning service, so it’s important to recognize when you’re outmatched.
If a sink is simply running a little slow and you’ve tried drain cleaners with no luck, it’s time to call a plumber. Additionally, you should get expert help for any clog that’s fully obstructing a fixture, as that can be a huge problem. If a drain keeps clogging even after you’ve unclogged it, you need to have a drain cleaning service completely clean that drain pipe.
The important thing to remember is that you should never try to forcefully unclog a drain on your own. If you can’t get a drain unclogged with a plunger or a drain cleaner, make sure you call a professional to handle the heavy-duty work.
The Easy Way
Taking care of the plumbing system in your home isn’t easy if you don’t know what you’re doing. Fortunately, a few tips can go a long way toward helping you keep everything in working order.
Clogged drains are never fun to deal with, but a good drain cleaning service can help. If a drain in your Chattanooga, TN, home is badly clogged, Metro Plumbing, Heating and Air can help. If you need your drains cleaned or want to learn more about preventing drain clogs, call us at (423) 250-3502 today.