Whether it’s in the kitchen sink, the bathtub, or anywhere else, having a clogged drain can be a huge hassle and can cause major disruptions in your life. In fact, almost anything can lead to having a clogged drain; here are ten of the most common causes to for your drain to become clogged and how to avoid them from clogging in the first place.
1) Hair
This one’s a no-brainer, though it’s most often seen in bathtub drains from showering and in the bathroom sink from shaving or otherwise trimming hair. The best way to avoid having to call the plumber is to use a screen or drain-gate over the drain’s opening so that you can catch the hair, and throw it out, before it goes down the drain.
2) Wipes and Diapers
You would think that most parents know that you can’t flush baby wipes and diapers down the drain, but you’d be surprised how many times plumbers have to come and clear out a pipe after such an event. Disposable diapers are designed to absorb as much liquid as possible, which means they swell up and get stuck in drain pipes very easily; they’re better thrown out instead. Even “flushable” baby wipes are better just thrown out, as many septic systems simply can’t handle them either.
3) Oil and grease
It sure is easy to just pour the excess grease down the kitchen drain when you’re done cooking dinner, but this is a bad idea. Grease and oil congeal and harden as they cool, and that means your drain pipes can become narrower and narrower over time until your drainage slows to a trickle. Better to pour grease into an old coffee tin and then throw it away once it cools!
4) Feminine products
Like diapers, feminine products are incredibly absorbent. This means they’re much better off in the garbage than they are in the drain, where they’ll swell up and constrict drainage.
5) Small objects
Anything small enough to fit down the drain is still probably large enough to get caught in your pipe’s u-bend. This creates an obstruction that other small objects can be caught on as well, making the problem increasingly worse over time!
6) Food waste
Unless you have a garbage disposal, stuffing food waste down your drain is a bad idea. It can accumulate and stop up your drain very easily. Good news, though, is that food waste often reacts well to an eco friendly drain cleaner, but it can still take a few applications to get your drain flowing again. Many high-volume industrial buildings even have an automated dispensing system to keep their drains clean
7) Dirt
Dirt plus water equals mud. Wash dirty objects off outside the house, preferably with a garden hose, and then dump the excess water into your lawn to let the dirt stay where it belongs!
8) Tree roots
Tree roots can often puncture or squeeze pipes from the outside as they grow. It’s important to keep the area your drain pipes pass through on the way to your septic tank or to your sewer clear of trees for this reason.
9) Tissues/Towels/Napkins
While not as absorbent as feminine hygiene products or diapers, paper products like tissues, towels, and napkins can easily plug up a drain over time. Throw these out instead of flushing them.
10) Soap
You would think that as a cleansing agent soap would prevent clogs but many clogs contain a significant amount of soap scum mixed in. You can prevent soap clogs in the same way you prevent hair clogs in the bathroom with an additional screen over your drain.
And finally, in order to have a free flowing, odor resistant drain, a bi-weekly drain maintenance program is in order. Alpha Bio-Drain is the commercial drain cleaner and odor eliminator that acts more like a monthly car detailing wash for your pipes then a one time declogging solution. Just a few ounces every couple of weeks will maintain a fresh smell and assure smooth flowing drains. Our patent-pending, enzymatic technology is the environmentally friendly drain cleaner and odor eliminator that doesn’t act friendly. The enzymes actually produce spores that eat away at grease, hair, dirt and the hardest to contain odors.