The Most Common Drain Issues Homeowners Experience
Drains allow used water to exit the house, so when drain issues arise, they can certainly cause problems. To better avoid future drain problems, it’s important to know the culprits that are causing these issues.
Blocked Garbage Disposal
Garbage disposals, which transform solid food into a liquid, have become such a handy helper in the kitchen, however, the types of foods that are being sent down your pipes could be creating a blockage in the drain. There are certain foods to avoid putting down the garbage disposal to avoid creating drain issues.
Greasy foods, such as meat fats and cheese, have the potential to clog your drain. The greasiness from these foods can create a film over the appliance’s blades, which makes its performance less effective and increasing the likelihood of a blocked garbage disposal.
Hard items, such as shells (especially eggshells), bones, seed, etc., can cause drain problems. Hard things not only make the garbage disposal work harder, but they can also affect the sharpness and performance of the disposal’s blades. The blades can become dull or break and create a problem within the appliance’s unit, which could lead its motor to burn out.
Any food peels can increase the chance of drain issues. Peels can effortlessly wrap around the disposal’s blades and that would prevent the garbage disposal from working properly. Expandable foods, such as rice and pasta, can also cause a blocked garbage disposal. Because these kinds of foods soak up water so well, they can easily obstruct the drain.
To help prevent a blockage in the drain, grind ice cubes in the garbage disposal regularly. By doing this, the ice cubes will remove trapped food that’s stuck in the disposal. Also, a good general practice to maintain the appliance is to let water run while the garbage disposal is on, but also continue letting the water run for a few minutes to be sure that any food has washed away.
If you are still having drain issues, you may need a garbage disposal repair.
Clogged Kitchen Sink
Kitchen sinks truly put up with a lot of our kitchen practices like washing bacon grease or hamburger meat grease down the drain. These can cause drain issues because once it cools down, stiffens and solidifies, it turns into something like sediment, which is solid residue from a liquid mixture, in the drainage pipes. It’s highly recommended that grease from foods should be thrown away in the garbage and not poured down the drain.
When getting rid of grease, make sure it’s had time to cool down so that if you’re throwing it away in a plastic garbage bag it doesn’t burn through the bag and create holes. Also, just in general, having a sink strainer can help prevent waste from seeping down the drain and reduce the chance of clogging the drain lines.
To prevent grease blockages, pour hot water regularly down the drain. The hot water will soften and melt any existing grease build-up. You can also try a natural and non-caustic bacterial drain cleaner like Bio-Clean® to safely remove any gunk. If you suspect that the hot water is not allowing waste to flush down the pipes and you’re still dealing with drain issues, Art Rooter, Sewer & Drain Cleaning suggests contacting your local drain clearing specialist.
Backed Up Toilet
There are signs in public bathrooms encouraging you to not flush anything other than toilet paper down the toilet for a reason, and that also applies to the toilets inside your home.
A way to help prevent foreign objects from being flushed down the toilet is to place a trash can next to the bathroom appliance for anything other than toilet paper to be thrown away. If the toilet is clogged and begins to overflow, turn off the water and call your local plumber or rooter specialist.
Clogged Shower
When you’re taking a shower and it turns into a bath, you’re most likely dealing with drain issues. Hair, soap, and debris are the main culprits for causing a blockage in the drain. One of the most effective ways to prevent a clogged shower is to place a strainer or a trap in the shower over the drain opening to collect lose hair.
Water Heater Failure
The water heater does not need to have clogged drain lines to not work properly, it could also be experiencing an unrelated malfunction.
Sediment can cause drain issues by forming on the bottom of the water heater’s tank and blanket the heating components, which creates a malfunction and can lead to water heater failure.
To better prevent water heater failure, flush and refill your tank once a year. By doing this, it can prolong the water heater’s longevity and keep it performing well.
Drain Issues? Local Drain Cleaning Experts Near Me
Knowing what’s causing drain issues and ways to prevent them is important. There could be some more reasons as to why you’re experiencing drain issues, but these are just the top five reasons why anyone could be experiencing them.
Do you have more plumbing related questions? Check out our drain and rooter services and tips for clogged drains, follow us on Facebook, or call South Florida’s trusted drain cleaning services, Art Rooter, Sewer & Drain Cleaning today at 1-888-773-1524.
