Insight To Keep Your Home Drains And Plumbing Lines Free Of Problems

Your home plumbing system is one of your home's essential systems to keep your home working well and healthy. Here are some recommendations to keep your home's plumbing and drains free of clogs, build-up, and damage.

Prevent Line Clogs

Preventative maintenance is essential to help the condition and health of your drains. In the bathroom sink and shower or tub drain, use a hair and lint trap either over the drain or placed within the drain. There are several different types of traps you can find and use to keep your drains clean. When the traps become full of lint, hair, and other debris, use a tissue to wipe them clean and toss the tissue into the trash. Don't rinse them off into the sink because this will only put the clog right into the drain line.

In the kitchen, you can follow some good practices when you use your sink and kitchen disposal. If you have a disposal, remember it is not a trash compactor, and you need to be careful what you put into it. Although the disposal blades may be able to grind up most food waste, you can overwhelm the plumbing line and cause a clog to form. Be careful with fibrous fruit and vegetable peelings, such as pineapple, beets, potatoes, carrot peelings, and broccoli stems. You are better off composting these directly in your garden or dumping them into the trash.

Use Regular Cleaning Maintenance

Once you have established a good routine to keep your drains free of clogs, there are steps you can still take to keep the build-up from occurring inside your drain lines. With regular use, your drains will come into contact with soap, shampoo, and grease residues that can collect on the inside of pipes and within the drains. This build-up attracts hair, lint, and other fibers that flow down the drain, eventually causing a blockage or a slow-flowing drain. 

Every few weeks, or when you regularly clean your sink, use a simple cleaning method to clear out buildup. With vinegar and baking soda, you can clean out the drain and buildup but you also won't damage your septic system if your home is connected to one. Pour some baking soda into the drain, then a couple of cups of vinegar. Plug up the drain with the stopper, and let it sit for about ten to fifteen minutes. Once it has stopped bubbling, remove the stopper and pour a pot of boiling water into the drain to rinse it all through and clean the pipes.

Also, arrange for a professional plumber to visually inspect areas of your plumbing lines that have clogs that are difficult to remove or return periodically. This can be a sign that your lines have damage or need to be repaired. For more information about drain cleaning, contact a local plumbing company.

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