Did you know that the #1 plumbing problem plumbers get called for is drain clogs? Just about every homeowner, at some point, has dealt with a clogged up or slow-moving drain. Our professionals manage to unclog drains in homes all the time!
We know it’s tempting to reach for a bottle of store-bought, chemical drain cleaner when this happens. That’s the easiest and quickest solution after all, right? Well—let us give you a different perspective.
Chemical drain cleaners are caustic! Sure, this means they may eat away at your clog enough to restore water flow. But it will be temporary at best and will eat away at and corrode your plumbing at worst. This is exactly how not to treat your plumbing—and down below we’ve shared some other “don’ts” when it comes to how you’re treating those pipes.
Don’t Let Your Pipes Get Clogged, to Begin With!
This might sound apparent, but there are many homeowners who simply don’t think about how much goes down their drains. Take the bathroom, for instance. Soap scum, hair, and even small toys from your kids can get knocked down into the drain and stop them right up.
But you can stop this from happening by putting drain covers and screens over the drain openings. These are sold at any hardware or home improvement store and are simple to place. All you need to do is clean them off after each use and dispose of “debris” in your trash can rather than the sink or shower.
Now let’s move on to your kitchen. Have you heard of FOG? This stands for fats, oils, and grease,” and these cooking products are formidable to kitchen drains. They’re liquid when hot, sure, but as they cool down they change into solids and become hard to remove. Our advice is to pour FOG from cooking into a tin can or some other disposable product and then throw it in the trash.
Don’t Run Cold Water Down the Drain When Washing or Cooking
Whether it’s soap in the bathroom, FOG, or food particles in the kitchen, we recommend running hot water versus cold water down the drain. It breaks up particles and allows it to flow easier down the drain and through to your sewer line.
Don’t Skip Professional Drain Cleaning
Drain cleaning isn’t just a service to deal with current clogs. It’s also a preventive measure to stop future clogs. Our professionals use powerful hydro-jetting equipment to scour out the drainpipe walls to rid them of the build-up from FOG, hair, soap scum, limescale, and much more.
This process leaves your pipe walls unobstructed. In fact, they’re so smooth it’s hard for particles to start building up again. Drain cleaning as part of your overall plumbing maintenance is a great idea and we recommend it once a year.
We are the team to turn to for this professional service. Whenever you have a clog you can’t relieve with a plunger and a bit of elbow grease, it’s time to give the experts a call.
For a professional Ashburn plumber, look no further than AllTech Services, Inc. Contact us today!