Avoiding Common Drain Clogs: Essential Tips
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Preventing Drain Clogs: What Not to Put Down Your Drains
Preventing drain clogs is often simpler and less costly than fixing them after they occur. Many common household items should never go down your drains, as they can solidify, accumulate, and create significant blockages.
Items to Avoid Putting Down Your Drain
| Category | Items to Avoid |
|---|---|
| Fats, Oils, and Grease (FOG) | Cooking oil, butter, margarine, shortening, meat drippings, food scraps with grease. Even if liquid when hot, FOG cools and solidifies in pipes, acting like glue for other debris. |
| Food Scraps | Coffee grounds, eggshells, fruit and vegetable peels (especially fibrous ones like potato skins or celery), rice, pasta. While garbage disposals help, they don’t eliminate all risks; these items can accumulate and stick to pipe walls. |
| Hair | Human hair, pet hair. Hair binds with grease and other debris to form dense, stubborn clogs, particularly in bathroom drains. |
| “Flushable” Wipes | Despite marketing, most “flushable” wipes do not break down in water like toilet paper. They can tangle and accumulate, leading to severe clogs in home plumbing and municipal sewer systems. This includes baby wipes, cleaning wipes, and personal hygiene wipes. |
| Cotton Products | Cotton balls, Q-tips, cotton swabs. Cotton absorbs water and expands, getting stuck in pipes. |
| Feminine Hygiene Products | Tampons, sanitary pads. These products are designed to absorb liquid and expand, making them highly problematic for plumbing systems. |
| Medications | Pills, liquid medications. Flushing medications can contaminate the water supply and do not break down harmlessly in pipes. |
| Chemicals & Solvents | Paint, paint thinner, automotive fluids, harsh cleaning chemicals. These can damage pipes, harm the environment, and be dangerous for plumbing professionals. |
| Dental Floss | Dental floss is non-biodegradable and can easily wrap around other debris in pipes, forming a net-like blockage. |
| Paper Products (other than toilet paper) | Paper towels, tissues, newspaper. These are thicker and less dissolvable than toilet paper and can quickly lead to clogs. |
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Typical Drain Cleaning Process
When a clog forms, professional drain cleaning often involves several steps to identify and resolve the issue:
- Initial Assessment: A plumber will first assess the location and likely cause of the clog, often by testing the drain’s flow.
- Camera Inspection: For persistent or unknown clogs, a small, waterproof camera is inserted into the drainpipe. This lets us closely inspect the inside of the pipe. We can find out what is blocking it, like grease, tree roots, or foreign objects. We can also see if the pipe is damaged.
- Clog Clearing:
- Snaking/Augering: A drain snake or auger is a long, flexible cable with an auger head that is fed into the drain. It can break apart minor clogs or retrieve objects.
- Hydro-Jetting: For tough clogs, especially from grease or roots, high-pressure water is used. It cleans the inside of the pipes, blasting away buildup and restoring full flow.
- Post-Cleaning Inspection: After we clear the clog, we may do another camera check. This is to make sure the pipe is clean and has no leftover debris or damage.
Additional Issues from Sewer Backups
Sewer backups are not just inconvenient; they can lead to significant health and structural problems:
- Health Hazards: Raw sewage contains harmful bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens that can cause serious illnesses. Direct contact or inhaling airborne particles can pose health risks to occupants.
- Property Damage: Sewage can saturate floors, walls, furniture, and personal belongings, leading to extensive water damage and costly repairs.
- Mold Growth: Sewage creates a damp and nutrient-rich environment. This is perfect for mold and mildew to grow. They can start to grow within 24 to 48 hours. Mold and mildew can cause health problems for your lungs.
- Structural Damage: Long exposure to moisture from a backup can weaken your home’s foundation, walls, and floors.
- Odor Retention: The foul odors associated with sewage can linger in affected areas for a long time, even after cleanup, requiring professional remediation.
- Pest Infestation: Sewage and damp conditions can attract pests like rodents and insects, further exacerbating health and sanitation concerns.
