Tackle your blocked sewers with these most-valuable tips
Tackle your blocked sewers with these most-valuable tips
Household emergencies can create a havoc and blocked drains are probably one of the worst. The worst thing is that they come without any notice. The worst aspect of a drains problem however is that it can cause unpleasant odours, result in flooding of your home and loss of power. When this problem arises in business areas, customers are lost, workers are inconvenienced and your operations and turnover are badly hit.
The drains get blocked mostly due to foreign objects or some structural problems, so you can always take certain measures to ensure their proper functioning.
Hairs that accumulate in the waste plug should be removed frequently.
Small objects such as combs, medicine bottles and toilet rolls should be kept away from places where there is a high probability of them falling into the toilet.
It is a good practice to use disinfectants and hot water to flush the wash basin, bath and shower pipes on a regular basis as this can be very effective in removing soap residue and avoids its accumulation with time.
Large and disposable items such as towels, nappies or product wrappings can clog your drainage pipe and thus should not be flushed down the toilet.
It is a good idea to compost food waste rather than discarding it in the kitchen sink.
If food matter does fall into the sink, try to carefully pull it from the drain hole as pushing it will only jam the pipe further.
Never flush down cooking fats into the drain because they solidify on coming in contact with cold water and thus it becomes very difficult to remove them. However in case cooking fats are stuck into the drain, you can try to emulsify and dilute them by using detergent with warm water. Run the water for a while after this, so that the the oil is completely flushed out and the pipes remain clear.
Some regular maintenance from you side can reduce the occurrence of blocked drains.
Rain downpipes and roof gutters are prone to getting blocked so they should be checked at least two times in a year.
Be careful while you are working at a height and use a trowel to remove the waste products from the pipes.
Keep a regular check on the drains so that they allow free-flow of materials by a periodic check of the inspection covers, also ensure that these have easy accessibility.
Make sure to brush off the external drains which often get filled up with autumn moss, fallen leaves and garden materials.
External drains must be flushed with hot water and disinfectant, just as you clean the internal drains.
For complete peace of mind, particularly if you are running a business you can request a regular drain surveys and get your drainage system checked regularly by a CCTV drain inspection service. This will give early warning of any potential blockages and also enables you to keep an eye on the structural condition of the drainage pipework.