As a homeowner, you must take good care of your plumbing system. This way, you’ll reduce the need for frequent and expensive repairs.
Additionally, you’ll increase your system’s lifespan, so it serves you for longer.
A common issue many homeowners face with their plumbing lines is blocked drains.
This problem results from letting unwanted materials like hair, food waste, diapers, and others wash down toilets, sinks, and shower and bathtub drains.
Such substances build up and eventually clog your plumbing lines.
When the flow in your water lines is obstructed, you’ll encounter flooding, backups, low water pressure, or slow drainage.
If your drains are clogged, you need to fix them promptly. This is because the issue can cause several inconveniences at home.
Besides, the blockage can be a bacteria hub, increasing the risk of water-borne diseases.
Clogged drains can also cause odor around your house, making it uncomfortable for you and your loved one.
If you have a tight schedule, you can hire plumbing specialists, such as Steins Plumbing, to repair your blocked drains.
However, if you can spare some time, fix the issue yourself to save money.
But before dealing with a clogged drain, you must know the common causes of blockages and learn some of the troubleshooting tips described below. Keep reading.
Contents
1. Hair
Human hair and pet fur are common causes of blockage in the bathtub, shower, bathroom, and laundry drain since they naturally fall off when you’re bathing, using the shower, or washing your pet.
When grease, cotton, and other unwanted materials are washed down your drains, hair, and fur can build up or combine with them, clogging your pipes.
In this case, you can use a plumber’s snake or drain spider to remove them. You can also buy a commercial drain cleaner to fix the issue.
A less expensive option would be to make your solution out of vinegar and baking soda.
The best way to prevent this issue from reoccurring is to buy a drain strainer guard to ensure hair and pet fur don’t go down your drains.
You could also remove them from your bathroom or sinks regularly instead of washing them down the drain. Use long tweezers, hand gloves, or needle-nose pliers to do the job.
2. Grease, Fat, and Oil
Grease, fat, and oil are stubborn enemies of your drains. They easily pass down the kitchen sink and harden in the pipes after cooling.
Eventually, they build up, causing a blockage. Though many believe that hot water can clear out such clogging, fat, oil, and grease might not leave your pipes completely. Also, hot water can melt or soften your plumbing joints.
To clear up clogs caused by these substances, use a plunger, hydro sewer jet, or air compressor.
If these don’t work well or you find them challenging to use, hire an excellent plumber to help you.
The best way to prevent this issue from occurring again is not to wash fatty, oily, and greasy substances down the kitchen sink.
These include chocolate, bacon grease, butter, cream, vegetable oil, and others.
3. Non-flushable Items
Feminine products, baby wipes, cotton, and diapers can cause a plumbing nightmare if flushed down the toilet.
This is because they’re non-biodegradable. Also, moisture causes them to enlarge, so they cause blockage quickly.
Manufacturers may market some of these products as flushable. However, sewer systems mostly have microorganisms that can only break down human waste.
Therefore, such products may still cause blockage despite being labeled flushable.
If you’re experiencing this problem, call a plumber to fix your toilet. They’ll do it faster and more efficiently.
It would also help to buy and designate bins for your bathroom or other areas of your home to prevent people from flushing feminine products, baby wipes, cotton, and diapers down the toilet.
4. Tree Roots
Tree roots are silent culprits that can cause a major plumbing system disaster. Naturally, tree roots are drawn to water.
So, they could grow into your sewer line and pipes. They’ll block your plumbing system and eventually cause your pipes to rupture.
If you’re currently facing this problem, fixing it on your own may be a complex task.
This is one of the plumbing issues that require professional handling.
You can prevent this problem from being a concern in the future. To do so, plant trees and other vegetation away from your plumbing lines.
Also, have a professional regularly inspect your pipes since they can use cameras to check for root invasion in the plumbing system.
You can work with them at least once every few years.
Final Thoughts
A common problem most homeowners face with their plumbing system is clogged drains.
In this article, you’ve learned that hair, fat, grease, oil, tree roots, and non-flushable items can lead to this issue.
You can consider the solutions mentioned above if you encounter clogged drains resulting from the named causes.
You can also take preventative measures that’ll help you avoid clogged drains in the future.
