Whether you own a commercial or residential property, you’re not alone in facing some maintenance issues. Clogged drains are a significant and common issue. Many people resort to superficial ways to remove drain blockages, but your best bet is to ask for drain cleaning services, and the most experienced in this regard are the plumbers in Alameda. The seasoned plumbers suggest that if you know the root cause of blockage, you can easily prevent the problem even before it occurs.
Here are some common causes of drain blockage and how to avoid or treat them if the problem occurs.
Grease accumulation Causes Drain Blockage
The kitchen is one of the common areas where we face this issue. In some restaurants, even the commercials are not equipped to deal with the problems. Hot grease pouring down the sink may seem to wash away, but it builds up along the edges of the pipe, and the food sticks to the insides, causing a blockage.
Prevention Tip
The expert cook suggests that the secret of keeping the kitchen clean is to avoid pouring grease and fat down the drain. Instead, it would be best to let it cool and throw it in the trash later. You can use filters in your sink to catch food particles and prevent them from entering the pipes. If you are in the building stage of the property, you can ask the contractor to install specialized filters in the kitchen sink to stop the tiny food particles poured accidentally into the sink. These simple steps can go a long way in preventing drain blockages.
Hair in the bathroom Causes Drain Blockage
Hair in the bathroom drain is equivalent to grease in the kitchen drains. Some hair fall is common and slides down the drain easily but households with women having long hair face a regular issue with the blocked pipes. It gets even worse if you have a bathtub installed, as it starts to reverse flow if the outlet is not completely clear. This drain blockage causes issues every two to three months, and you have to keep a plumber on speed dial to take care of the issue. However, there is a simple yet effective tip that can help get rid of the problem once and for all.
Prevention Tip:
Contact your trusted plumber to install hair catchers or strainers over your drains. This will block hair before it goes down the pipes. Later, all you have to do is regularly clean these strainers to ensure there is no hair overflow.
Foreign objects Causes Drain Blockage
Sometimes, even after considering the pro tips for causes of drain blockage, you face one. In such cases, the first instinct is to see if a foreign object is lodged in the pipe. Most of the time, residential areas have this issue because of small toys, jewelry, toothpaste caps, and even excessive toilet paper that may be accidentally flushed down the pipe with water. In commercial buildings, people end up flushing out paper towels and sanitary products, causing the pipes to block.
Prevention Tip:
Take care of what is flushed down the drain. With young children in the house, you can never be too sure. To prevent toys and other small items from being flushed, you can install drain covers. Keep the kids supervised so they do not flush down things and clog the drains. In commercial restrooms, you can raise awareness and ask the users for proper disposal bins for paper towels and sanitary products.
Tree Roots Causes Drain Blockage
Sometimes, the drain clog problem is more deep-rooted than you can imagine. Outdoor plumbing systems often face the difficulties of tree roots intruding into the system and causing blocked drains. The tree roots usually seek out water sources, and they can grow into the system with the help of cracks in walls. This type of drain block is unlike any other, and you may not see the effect at first until the problem seeps in too deep.
Prevention Tip:
To avoid these problems, we suggest you regularly inspect your outdoor plumbing system, especially if there is greenery around the area of outdoor plumbing. Professional plumbers can use cameras to detect early signs of root intrusion. If the roots are causing an issue, they use barriers or treat the pipes with root-killing chemicals. So, you can seek professional help occasionally to avoid any major plumbing work.
Mineral Build-up Causes Drain Blockage
Depending on the area’s water quality, you may face problems with calcification and magnesium build-up in your pipes. The regular flow of water through these pipes causes such build-up over time. Once the deposit is too high, it can restrict the water flow. You may face these problems many years after the initial plumbing is done.
Prevention Tip:
If you live in an area with hard water, installing a water softener is the easiest way to get rid of this problem. This machine helps reduce the mineral content in your water and prevents build-up in your pipes. You may also have to take care of the water softener from time to time, as overworked water softener machines can also face breakdowns. Maintain regular services of these machines to avoid such problems.
Conclusion
It is safe to say that you won’t always be able to avoid the drain clogs, but keeping yourself informed of the situation can help you in the long run and avoid unnecessary expenses that you might have to make to fix the plumbing issues.
If you are looking for plumber in alameda, you can contact us for regular checks on your plumbing system in commercial or residential properties. There is no price that you can put on being cautious, as it can help you steer clear of bigger issues in the future.