Easy Ways to Minimize the Risk of Clogs
There are certain annoyances in life that you just cannot get rid of. Mosquitoes. Hangnails. And yes, drain clogs. Does this mean that you have to suck it up and put up with clogs, though? That you can do nothing about it? Of course not. You wear bug spray, right? And you clip your hangnails before they can cause you much pain? Well, there are also some preventive measures you can take in order to minimize the headache of drain clogs.
It doesn’t mean that you’ll never run into clogged drains in your home, of course. No more than wearing bug spray will mean that you’ll never get another bug bite. Keeping these tips in mind and putting them into practice will help to limit the risk of clogs developing, though. And the best part is, they’re all quite simple! Just remember that when, not if, you do run into clogs in your home, our Goettl plumbers are here to help!
Are Your Drains Themselves Protected?
If you don’t have a screen or trap over every drain in your home, then you are already setting yourself up for failure in the pursuit of clog-free drains. Yes, we know this sounds painfully obvious, but—the best way to prevent drains from clogging is to keep as much material as possible out of them. That means keeping hair out of the shower/tub drain, whiskers out of the sink drain, and food scraps out of the kitchen drain (a bit more on that below).
Not only do you want to keep these covers and traps in place, but you also want to make sure that you are cleaning them out regularly. If you don’t, water will fill over them, and some material may be able to make it into the drain by sneaking through the seal between the trap and the fixture itself. If it seems like a hassle to be cleaning a trap every time you do the dishes or shower, just remember how much more of a hassle clogged drains are!
A Garbage Disposal Is Not for Everything
A lot of times we wind up clearing clogged drains and listening to homeowners express their frustration about the failings of their garbage disposals. However, garbage disposals are not meant to handle everything you decide to put down them. They are incredibly convenient devices, but they have their limitations.
While a garbage disposal can certainly handle the process of pasta or rice, for instance, it won’t change that those materials are still highly absorbent. And having highly absorbent materials in as wet a setting as your pipes is a recipe for, if not disaster, clogs! They can swell up and block up your pipes before you know it. So keep those items, as well as fats and grease that can congeal, out of the drain.
Leave the Drain Cleaning to the Pros
If you are serious about keeping your drains clog-free, then let us handle it when clogs do develop. If you fail to do so, you are only hurting yourself in the long run. DIY drain cleaning attempts are not effective, and you’ll be dealing with the issue again before long.
