Blocked pipes can be frustrating at best and extremely expensive to fix at worst. Blockages are a significant cause of plumbing failure, but the good news is that they can be avoided if you’re careful.
If you have just had your kitchen plumbing fixed or have had your bathroom renovated by Bathroom Renovations Perth, taking a few simple actions during your everyday cleaning and maintenance routines can help avoid significant problems in the future. In the rest of this article, you will find a list of our top tips for preventing blocked pipes and keeping your plumbing in good condition throughout the year.
- Don’t Put Food Down the Drain
You might think there’s nothing wrong with putting food down the drain. In the end, it will wash away with your wastewater, right? Wrong!
Washing food scraps, coffee grinds, and anything else not liquid down the sink is a recipe for disaster. Foreign material is one of Australia’s leading causes of drain blockages, so it’s essential to ensure all food waste ends up in the trash.
- Use a Sink Strainer
With this in mind, using a sink strainer is always a good idea to prevent anything from accidentally washing down the drain. Try to find a removable filter that is easy to clean but continues to allow unrestricted water flow when empty.
At the same time, make sure that you empty your sink strainers regularly. Failing to do so can result in several problems, including nasty smells, slow drainage and, eventually, foreign material washing down the drain.
- Don’t Let Hair Wash Down The Shower Drain
Hair is one of the leading causes of drain blockages in the bathroom. You can ensure your drains remain in good condition by preventing any hair, soap scum or other foreign objects from washing down the shower. Once again, an excellent way to do this is to install some filter or filtering system. Clean it regularly to ensure proper water flow.
- Never Pour Grease or Oil Down the Drain
You probably don’t realise it, but grease and oil can rapidly build up in your drains, causing blockages that are hard to remove. Rather than pouring old cooking oil, meat fat and other greasy substances down the sink, please place them in a sealed container in the trash.
- Clean Your Drains Regularly
Finally, you can ensure small build-ups don’t cause significant blockages by cleaning your drains regularly. A simple mixture of baking soda and vinegar poured down the sink every few weeks will help keep your plumbing in good condition. Alternatively, you could use a more robust drain cleaner.
Ultimately, the key to preventing drain blockages in your home is ensuring no foreign material goes down the sink or shower drain. Ensure that things like food scraps and hair are disposed of in the rubbish, and never pour oil down the kitchen sink.
If you suffer from blocked pipes, you can try pouring some drain cleaner down them. Failing that, the best thing to do is to contact your local plumber for advice.