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How to Prevent Drain Clogs | Tips from Your Trusted Short Pump, VA Plumber
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Here’s the basic reality of being a homeowner: you can do everything right and still end up needing to call a plumber to your home in Short Pump, VA. Over time, your pipes are going to collect debris, develop rust or even start to leak, and your drains might become slow-flowing or even stop completely. When that happens, the only solution is to call a plumber and let them do what they do best so that your home’s plumbing doesn’t turn into a disaster.
But there are plenty of things that you can do in order to prevent drain clogs from occurring so that you don’t need to call for plumbing help any more often than absolutely necessary. Here are a few things you should do to limit your risk of drain clogs so that you can minimize your need for plumbing assistance!
Don’t Flush Foreign Items
One of the worst things that you can do to your drain is treating the toilet as a trash can. Whether it’s flushable wipes, Q-tips, diapers or dental floss, your bathroom is home to several items that have no business going down the pipes in your home. If you’re flushing any of those items down your toilet, you can look forward to calling a plumber in the very near future.
That’s because the only things that are meant to go down your toilet are human waste and toilet paper, both of which will rapidly break down in water. No matter how long they sit in water, flushable wipes won’t break down, and other items, such as diapers, can even expand in water. As you might have guessed, when something expands in your pipes, it means burst pipes are soon to follow. A burst pipe means you’ll definitely need to call a professional in a hurry, so do yourself a favor and don’t flush anything besides the basics.
Catch Hair Clogs in Advance
Have you ever taken a look at the drain after a shower and found it clogged with hair? There’s good news and bad news. The good news is that it’s not your fault if your drain is clogged with hair. You actually lose anywhere between 50 and 150 strands of hair every single day without even realizing it, and if you’re a female, there’s a good chance that you have longer hair that ends up in the drain.
The bad news is that if you don’t stop that hair from reaching the drain, there’s a good chance that you’re going to have to call a plumber to come clear out your drains. That’s because hair can mix with soap and create a rather large buildup that catches other debris and forms a major blockage in your pipes. If you allow a hair clog to build up for too long, a plumbing disaster is inevitable.
Instead, you’ll want to put in a mesh screen over your drain so that you can keep hair from slipping down your drain. A fine mesh screen can catch hair before it goes down the drain, meaning all you have to do is dump the hair in the trash after a shower. It might look a little disgusting, but it’s a lot better to throw out a small clump than it is to call a professional to remove a major blockage.
Use Bacteria to Your Advantage
Keep in mind, this says use bacteria, not a corrosive cleaner. Drano and other cleaners like it are an absolute no when it comes to putting them down your drain. That’s because if they fail to work, they can both create a biohazard and eat away at your pipes, neither of which is a great outcome for either you or the plumber that eventually has to come fix the mess at your Short Pump, VA home.
However, bacteria do an excellent job at eating sludge and solids in your septic system, and they can do the same thing inside your pipes. Bacteria are not corrosive and will simply go after the organic compounds in your drains that are likely causing a clog, so you can put them down your drain without worry that you’re making the situation worse.
That said, in many cases, you might not have time to allow bacteria to go to work on the clog. If you’ve got a serious plumbing issue, you need to call a plumber rather than waiting on bacteria to do their job. Bacteria should only be used for minor clogs, and even then, you should call for a plumbing expert immediately in case the clog is bigger than you think.
Call For Help Before You Need It
If your pipes keep getting clogged over and over, you’ve probably got a more serious problem with your plumbing system than a simple issue that can be fixed with one service call. In that case, the right move is to call a professional to visit your Short Pump, VA home to take a hard look at your pipes and see if there’s anything seriously wrong with the system.
In a best-case scenario, you’ll get peace of mind that there’s nothing wrong with your pipes and that you don’t have any disasters that are imminent with your plumbing system. If your plumber finds something wrong, you’ll be able to get it fixed before things get out of hand, saving you money by preventing future damage and making repairs easier for your plumbing expert to handle. Either way, you’ll be better off if you have a plumber examine your pipes before you know there’s a problem.
No home owner in Short Pump, VA wants to have a problem with their pipes or drains, but if one arises, you can trust bluefrog Plumbing + Drain of Richmond, VA to clean things out and make necessary repairs to your plumbing system. If you’re in need of a plumber at your residence, contact us to make sure the job is done right!
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