It can be a really irritating occurrence that you know all too well: You run some water down the drain to rinse a few dishes or wash your hands, and it immediately backs up into the sink. How do you avoid having clogged drain lines in your home? We've developed a great list of the most common culprits that cause clogged drains Pittsburgh plumbing companies run into and how to avoid the problems they cause.
Want to Avoid Clogged Drains? Avoid These Common Culprits
- Grease and fat. Even if you think adding hot water while flushing these materials down the drain will do the trick, the water will cool quickly in the drain lines and the fat will deposit on your pipe walls. You should always avoid putting material like this down the drain, even with cold water, as fats and grease tend to stick to the pipe walls and then catch additional material that goes down the drain. Grease and fat also stick to other materials, causing the clog to grow very quickly in size. Try a sink plunger to break up the clog and move it down the line.
- Hair and stringy material. These items create traps in your drain lines by catching more material and increasing the size of the clog and blocking more water. Beyond simple hair, it can include putting celery down your kitchen sink's garbage disposal, dental floss and some feminine hygiene products. As they catch more material, the clog grows in size until it fills the drain and causes a slow or completely blocked drain line. A drain snake is your best bet to remove these clogs.
- Foreign objects. This can include anything from the remote control or stack of blocks your toddler dropped in the toilet to feminine hygiene products, condoms or chewing gum dropped by older household members. All these items can catch in the bends, junctions, tees and rough patches in your pipes, causing a serious backup and a lot of headaches. A drain snake is often the best bet for trying to remove these materials, as they'll catch on the corners and protrusions and can be removed.
If you can keep these factors under control, the number of clogs you have to deal with should go down markedly. When you have problems with your plumbing or need help getting new fixtures installed, Stahl Plumbing is here to help. Please feel free to contact us today to learn why our customer service and exceptional work have made us the top plumbers in Pittsburgh.