For homeowners, there is very little worse than attempting to drain a sink or tub, only to discover that it will not go down due to a nasty clog somewhere in the pipes.
Fortunately, there are numerous ways to prevent clogs from occurring, so you can save yourself the frustration of managing stagnant water and the money you’d spend on plumbing services in Raleigh, NC.
Here are some of our top clog-free draining tips.
Use a strainer
One of the best ways to avoid clogged drains is to prevent clogs from occurring to begin with. Drain strainers are very easy to use and can be applied to your sinks and tub drains. The mesh strainers will help to catch food, hair and other miscellaneous objects that might find their way into the drain, preventing them from getting flushed down the pipes.
Make sure to empty these strainers after each use so water continues to run through them freely.
Avoid dumping foods
You might be tempted to dump leftover food particles down the drain when cleaning up after a meal, but some foods and substances should never be put down the drain because of their tendencies to lump together and form clogs.
At the top of the list are fats, oils and grease (FOG substances). While these are liquids when warm, they quickly cool and solidify. When they go down your drain, they can adhere to the sides of the pipes as they harden, eventually creating blockages that are nearly impossible to remove without a plumber. Pour these substances into a can and then throw them away instead.
Also, avoid dumping things like coffee grounds, expandable foods like pasta and rice, egg shells and fruit or vegetable skins down the drain.
Rinse the drains with hot water
Simply using hot water to flush the pipes can often help dislodge or dissolve organic materials that might be clogging your pipes. After you use your sink, let the hot water run for a few seconds to make sure everything gets flushed down completely.
Additionally, every one or two weeks, you can use hot or boiling water to do a more effective flush of the drains. Pour a pot of boiling water down the drain and let it flush completely. Or, plug your sink or tub and run the hot water for a few minutes, letting it stand. Then, remove the plug so the water is able to rush through the pipes. The heat plus the force will usually dislodge potential clogs.
Use baking soda and vinegar
Another trick for cleaning out the pipes is to use a combination of baking soda and vinegar, followed by a flush of hot water. Pour one cup of baking soda into the drain, followed by one cup of vinegar. Cover the drain and let the combination go to work. The bubbles and acidic nature of the mixture can help dissolve and dislodge buildups.
Then, unclog the drain and run the hot water for a few minutes to get everything that was just dislodged out and through the pipes.
Call a professional
Sometimes, even the most careful clog-free draining methods fail and a pesky clog prevents your sink or tub from working the way it should. In that case, reach out to Affordable Plumbing Call Us 1st, Inc. Our plumbing services in Raleigh, NC include drain cleaning and plumbing repair, so we’ll be able to clean out the problem in no time.