A stubborn clogged pipe or slow-draining sink can be a homeowner’s worst nightmare when you’re trying to do chores, shower, or go to the restroom. It may be tempting to grab a chemical cleaner and go to town to try and rid yourself of that pesky problem! However, we’re here to give you some tips and advice for your drain cleaning that should help you prevent clogs and let you know when you should be calling one of the area’s fully licensed plumbers’ customer service line.
When it comes to drain cleaning plumbers, Melbourne Fl can trust Anchor Plumbing’s advice with all their residential and commercial plumbing problems! Here are our top tips for clogged drain prevention and more.
Hot Water is Your Friend
Many issues that plague your sinks and drains can be fixed with one simple addition to your daily routines: running hot water. Hot water helps break up oils, grease, and other particles that cling to and collect inside pipes.
Hair in the shower, food in the kitchen sink, and toothpaste in the bathroom sink all can eventually give you annoying issue like slowed draining and clogging. A quick and efficient way to prevent build-up is to run hot water down the drain for 30 seconds to a minute after you’re done in the shower, bathroom, or kitchen. This helps flush those pesky particles into the sewage system instead of staying in your pipes.
Rinse with Some Common Ingredients
If you aren’t as good with prevention, you might already have a slow drain or a problematic clog (or maybe just some build-up that smells funky). Either way, a few components from the kitchen can help break up clogs and clean up your pipes. Take a cup of equal parts baking soda and vinegar and pour that foaming mixture down the sink where you are having an issue. Let it sit for at least an hour (or even 5 or 6 hours!) to eat away at your build-up, and then rinse it with boiling water. Baking soda and vinegar are a great way to eat away at a greasy clog or lump of food blocking the pipes, and the boiling water loosens and softens any residue that’s left over after soaking in the mixture.
This isn’t just a good way to get rid of clogs and build-up. You can also use this (or just baking soda) to help loosen particles that are stinking up the drain in places like the kitchen. Baking soda does a great job of cleaning as well as absorbing odors!
Trap Food and Hairs!
What better way to prevent hair, food, and other gross particles from clogging up your pipes than to prevent them from getting in there in the first place? The best tool for the job is one of those mesh drain trap strainers that sinks on top of the drain in your sink or shower. It will catch most of the large items that would otherwise get stuck to the sides of the pipe or build up with grease and oils. When it’s full, just empty the drain strainer into the trash can! It’s one of the simplest and easiest ways to keep your drains clear so you don’t have to worry about getting a plumbing service for plumbing repair and drain cleaning.
Don’t Use Chemical Drain Cleaners
Often, people think of using harsh, caustic chemicals for a quick drain cleaning solution. However, these are often less efficient than a plumbing service and will cause many more problems than they will fix. Chemical cleaners can also be dangerous! Sometimes, they react with your pipes or other cleaners to make toxic fumes in the pipes. Other times, they can eat away at the metal pipes when they’re supposed to eat at the clog. In some cases – like with crystal cleaners – pipes can burst from an adverse reaction (talk about a bigger problem than just a clog or a leak detection!). None of these sound good, and most professional plumbers will advise you to use less harsh cleaners or just call a professional if you have trouble on your own.
When to Call a Professional
At Anchor Plumbing, we’ve dealt with clogged drains and other plumbing issues for over 20 years. Serving Brevard for so many years, we’ve had our fair share of easily-avoided clogs, but sometimes there are problems that are more than a prevention technique or DIY trick can handle. So, when do you call someone like us?
First, you should call a professional for any clog that you have more than a little trouble with. This includes anything, whether it’s a toilet, kitchen sink, bathroom drain, or shower. Anything that doesn’t respond to a simple DIY cleaning trick is probably hiding a bigger issue that you will want a professional to check out.
And, if your problem seems to affect more than one drain in the house, you’ll want to stop and call a plumber. This problem means that it isn’t just a simple clog. There’s a problem with the main household’s pipes draining, and you’ll need more extensive equipment to clear the blockage. That’s definitely a plumber’s expertise!
Finally, you should call a plumber if the clog is affecting a major part of the household plumbing (like your only toilet or the guest shower when you’re expecting company). When you can’t take the time for trial and error, you’ll want a plumber to come out and fix the problem ASAP so you can get your home up and running again!
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