Slow drains. Clogged drains. Frequent attempts to clear them with plungers and drain snakes. Kids complaining that the sink is blocked again. Does this sound like your house? If so, we’ve got some helpful pointers for you. Those kids could be causing the problems with your plumbing! Here’s how to get those drains cleared up and keep them that way.
Avoid Chemical Drain Cleaners
It’s very easy to find any number of products that claim they’ll get your drains clean in a matter of minutes. Just pour this caustic liquid into your plumbing! We want to strongly warn you against this. These products can burn your skin worse than lye. They can irritate your eyes, nose, and lungs with their vapors. And they’ll also be bad for your pipes, roughening surfaces and making it easier for future clogs to form.
Rely on Professional Drain Cleaning
Plumbers use safer and more effective methods to clean your home’s drains. And while your plunger and drain snake might work for a clog in a single drain, professional tools and techniques can clean out the entire drainage system, down to the sewer line that carries all the waste away from your home. This way, the clogs won’t come right back.
Kids and Clogs
Most drain clogs don’t happen all at once. They’re caused by gradual buildup of various substances in your drain pipes. This means that the way to prevent them from happening again is to take small steps every time you (or your kids!) use the drains to avoid putting these substances down them.
In the kitchen, the buildup in drains is mostly composed of food particles and FOG: fats, oils, and grease. Imagine a greasy liquid washing down your drain. When it cools, it hardens. Now it’s as solid as a stick of butter, and full of bits of food! This stubborn mess can only effectively be removed by a plumber. Once that job is done, it’s time to take steps to avoid recreating the problem.
Washing dishes is a hard enough job to get your kids to do without adding extra steps, we know. But that grease and mess needs to go in the trash can, not down the drain! Teach kids to wipe their own dishes with a paper towel and throw it away before putting their plates and bowls in the sink or the dishwasher. Use a mesh drain cover to catch any remaining food bits.
In the bathroom, the buildup in drains is mostly composed of hair and soap scum. Much of this can be caught with a mesh drain cover. Teach your kids to clean the drain covers frequently. If the soap scum is a very serious issue, it may be that hard water is affecting how the soap breaks down. Discuss the option of a water softening system with your plumber.
We’ve been talking about gradual buildup. But the toilet can have very sudden clogs. Small children are often excited about flushing and inclined to put things in the toilet that shouldn’t be there! Save your bath toys, contact lens cases, toothbrushes, and makeup from a terrible fate. If you’ve got toddlers, a child-proof toilet latch might be worth its weight in gold.
When you need drain cleaning in Tucson, AZ, we’ve got you covered. And we’ll help you make sure those drains stay clean!
Contact Picture Rocks Cooling, Heating & Plumbing today with any questions or to schedule an appointment with our professionals.