Dos and Don’ts to Prevent Blocked Drains

Simply put, a blocked drain is a headache. Not only are you unable to perform your tasks well in the kitchen, but you also have to face the disgusting dilemma of a dysfunctional drain. For that matter, you may want to make it a habit of not clogging your drains, unless you want to experience such a scenario first-hand. Here are some tips that can help in preventing your drains from getting blocked.

Don’t Pour Cooking Oil into the Drain

For the uninitiated, throwing away grease or cooking oil into the drain is a complete no-no, unless you want to have a clogged drain. Sydney homeowners should instead place these viscous liquids into a canister before throwing into the garbage like any other regular trash.

The key reason why people should do this is that oil, lard, or grease congeals and creates pockets of hardened lumps in the drain pipes. These disgusting deposits may be difficult to remove. Unless you want to experience this drain disaster, you may want to consider throwing that next batch of used cooking oil into the trash bin where it belongs.

Do Throw Food Waste into the Trash Bin

Solid food like fruit peelings, coffee grind, and even leftover crumbs should go directly into the garbage bag and not into the kitchen sink drain. You can prevent food waste from clogging the pipes by installing a sink strainer.

Otherwise, these solid food wastes would pile up and lead into a blocked drain. Sydney homeowners may turn to DIY to rectify the problem. However, if you aren’t handy with plumbing tools, you may have to call in a professional plumber to help you with the task.

Do Clean the Gutters Regularly

There are instances when leaves and twigs collect into the rain gutter and find its way down in the sewer drainage. Such a scenario is a recipe for a blocked drain. Sydney homeowners, for that matter, should practise preemptive methods that will keep them from having a clogged sewer.

Installing gutter guards or gutter hedgehogs may help. Contacting a plumbing contractor is also an ideal solution if you think the matter has gone way out of control. Leaving a blocked drain in Sydney may lead to bacterial buildup that could be dangerous to your health.

Don’t Use Too Much Toilet Paper

Most of us think that using too much toilet paper causes no harm to your toilet or sink drain because paper disintegrates in water. That’s generally true unless you have flushed too much toilet paper. Tissue does not dissolve in the water right away, especially if you have to consider the amount used.

Easy DIY Tips for Clearing Blocked Drains

When it comes to clearing a blocked drain, Sydney residents sometimes turn to DIY. This option is ideal for minor clogged drains which you suspect can be repaired in no time.  If you have a blocked drain that you wanted to be solved easily, you may want to take note of the following:

Using Caustic Soda

Caustic soda or sodium hydroxide is a chemical with strong corrosive properties. Also known as lye, this substance may irritate the skin so you should protect yourself with rubber gloves and handle it with care.

Dissolve 3 cups of caustic soda into 0.75 gallons of water before pouring it into the blocked drain. Sydney residents should wait for about 30 minutes before flushing the solution with boiling water. This method should take care of the grease and scum that’s clogging your drain.

Pouring Salt and Boiling Water

These two commonplace items can unclog a blocked drain. Sydney homeowners should dump a half cup of salt into the sink drain before pouring a kettleful of boiling water into it. Allow the water to settle for a few minutes before pouring another batch of hot water. It will only be a matter of time until the scum and detritus gets washed out of the pipes.

Final Thoughts

In case you encounter a clogged drain, the best thing to do is to contact blocked drain Sydney plumbers who can address your toilet dilemmas in no time. Remember to choose experts who operate within your area so they can attend to your emergencies as soon as possible. Make sure that the plumber has a licence, insurance, and is an expert in other plumbing services. On top of that, it is good to have the phone number of a plumbing contractor ready anytime. It can be valuable in the future should you require plumbing assistance.