What Causes Clogged Drains?

water-flowing-down-a-drainWhen you need professional plumbing in Ludlow, VT who do you call? Hopefully, it’s our team! Especially if you have a stubbornly clogged drain.

“But wait,” you might wonder, “can’t I just tackle a clogged drain by myself?”

We know what you’re thinking–that you’ll just reach for that bottle of chemical, liquid drain cleaning solution you got from the hardware or grocery store. Unfortunately, these “solutions” can do more harm than good to your drain. This is because they’re highly caustic, and can actually eat away at the lining of your pipes, eventually leading to corrosion and leaks. The real solution to a clogged drain is professional service, whether our plumbers come out with a drain snake or hydro-jet for really stubborn backups.

But what if you could prevent clogs to begin with? You may be able to, as long as you understand what causes them to begin with. Read on to learn more!

Cause #1: Not Using the Garbage Disposal Correctly

Yes, there is a right, and a wrong, way to use your garbage disposal. The thing about garbage disposals that many homeowners don’t understand is just because it has “garbage” in the name doesn’t mean you can put anything down the drain that you could also throw away.

That’s right–you need to put only the appropriate materials down your garbage disposal. This excludes things like hard fruit pits, meat bones, and even fibrous material like celery and potato skins that can get wrapped around the impeller blades and jam up the garbage disposal. But most importantly, for the health of your kitchen sink drain, you want to avoid FOG (fats, oils, and grease) and anything absorbent than can soak up water and create a clog.

Your garbage disposal is good, but it’s not that good! It can’t “chop up” absorbant things like rice, pasta, or coffee grounds fine enough so that it will never create a blockage.

Cause #2: Flushing Anything and Everything Down the Toilet

The only thing you should ever be flushing down your toilet is toilet paper. So, no makeup removing wipes or baby wipes. No paper towels or napkins. And definitely no food. True, some products are marketed as “flushable” but the truth is, they really aren’t–or rather they shouldn’t be. They take far too long to breakdown and the more you flush and pile on, the greater chance there is for a stubborn clog.

Cause #3: Never Having Your Drains Professionally Cleaned

The thing about thorough professional drain cleaning is that it prevents clogs from forming in the future. The same can’t be said for those store-bought drain cleaners you keep reaching for. Those liquid cleaners just push the clog down further into the drainpipe anyway, and don’t actually remove it. Professional drain cleaning will make sure your plumbing system is in good shape, at least for a year! Contact us to learn more about our drain snaking and hydro jetting services.

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