From ensuring fresh drinking water and allowing us to stay clean, to maintaining a tidy home, drainage systems are an essential part of our daily lives, particularly when it comes to hygiene.
Without functioning drains, doing the dishes, staying hydrated, and waking up with a fresh morning shower all become impossible – so what happens if they suddenly become blocked? The first thing to do is stop panicking; there are plenty of ways that you can prevent those unpleasant odors and overflowing sinks from causing serious water damage within your home.
Find out how to prevent clogged drains in the first place with some handy DIY drain cleaning tips and how a professional plumbing service like Waywest Mechanical can help in the event of severe or recurring blockages.
Call 250-729-2394 for general service, or 250-616-1446 for 24 hour emergency services.
Understanding Common Causes of Clogged Drains
Wondering why your sink or shower keeps draining so slowly? Discover some of the most common reasons for drain blockages and how you can prevent them with a few simple fixes.
What Causes Kitchen Sink Clogs?
Used several times per day for washing dishes and making meals, kitchen sinks are one of the most commonly clogged areas in your home. While food particles and coffee grounds are the main culprits, grease from cooking oils can also cling to the inside of the pipes and cause your sink to become backed up.
To avoid drain blockages, you should therefore avoid tipping any leftovers straight from your plate or coffee grounds down the sink. The best way to do this is by purchasing a drain strainer, a small metal device that catches food waste and other debris.
Installing a garbage disposal on the underside of the sink is another way to reduce the occurrence of clogs. Garbage disposals grind food scraps into tiny particles, which can help reduce occurrence of drain blockages – although these devices are not replacements for properly disposing of food scraps and do not fully prevent all clogs or other septic issues.
What Causes Bathroom Drain Clogs?
Hair, soap scum, shower gels, shampoos, and other hygiene products are notorious for getting stuck on the stoppers within your bathroom sink or shower.
These items cause slow drainage and can even completely clog your tub, making it difficult for your family to stay clean. You may even experience overflowing water after turning the shower on, which increases the risk of a bathroom flood.
Another small, but highly effective tip is to brush your hair before bathing or jumping in the shower, as this helps to remove any loose hair that may clog the drain.
If you’re trying to prevent toilet drain clogs, avoid flushing any paper products other than toilet paper. This includes sanitary products, medication, wipes, or Q-tips, as these items have the potential to block the entire sewage system. Even sanitary wipes that are labelled as “flushable” often do not break down enough to actually prevent drain issues.
What Causes Outdoor Drain Clogs?
Outdoor drains are a crucial plumbing system component, as they divert water away from your home so that it doesn’t cause damage to the yard or any internal structures. When these drains become clogged, whether by leaves, dirt, sand, clay, or plant clippings, it can be easy to neglect them – after all, they’re located outside of your home, so may not directly disrupt your daily routine.
However, clogged outdoor drains can cause soil erosion and damage your backyard, while also allowing water to infiltrate your home. Over time, this creates the ideal damp conditions for mold to grow, along with weakening the foundations. Plus, external obstructions like tree roots may enter your pipes and prevent wastewater from passing through.
Maintain effective outdoor drainage by cutting grass and removing any vegetation that currently grows near drain openings. You could also install a drain strainer or cover to prevent other leaves and debris from becoming lodged within your pipes in the first place.
Practical Tips to Prevent Clogged Drains
Although we can do our best to ensure that food scraps, hair, sanitary products, and grease don’t go down the drain, sometimes these items will inevitably slip through the cracks. Here’s what to do if you’re hoping to take a proactive approach to DIY drain cleaning:
Regular Drain Cleaning and Maintenance
The most effective way of keeping your drains clog-free is to develop a regular drain maintenance routine, which should involve cleaning bathroom and kitchen sinks on a weekly basis, along with those located outside.
Letting debris build up over time will cause major clogs, which can ultimately damage the pipes and lead to expensive repairs, or even a complete system replacement! Prevent this from happening by flushing your drains at least once per week.
To do this, pour a half pot of boiling water down the sink, and then wait 5 minutes before pouring the rest to dislodge any grease or debris.
Use of Drain Strainers
Drain strainers are sieves made from perforated metal, which can be used to prevent debris from entering the pipes within your home. When placed in the sink, the mesh screen of these strainers collects any food scraps and other solids that would usually slip through and cause a clog.
Some of the main drain strainer types include:
- Double Cup Strainer: This type of strainer comes with one cup that remains permanently attached to the drain, and another that can be removed to get rid of debris. Use a double cup strainer in sinks that are regularly used for cleaning dishes or preparing food.
- Stopper Strainer: Simply flick a switch and your stopper strainer can instantly become a plug to fill up bathroom or kitchen sinks with water for washing.
- Back Nut Strainer: Fix this strainer to the plumbing system with a back nut and a rubber seal that fits between the sink and the device. This blocks water to help stop any leaks, while also preventing debris from going down the drain.
- Flange Strainer: With a rubber rim around the sink connection, and a removable basket, this is another effective type of strainer.
Regardless of the type chosen, you should regularly pull drain strainers out and remove any debris that they may have captured. Get into those small nooks or crannies and ensure all debris is removed by using a bent wire or hair-catching brush.
Proper Disposal of Grease and Food Waste
To dispose of grease properly after cooking, let it completely cool down and pour into a sealable container before throwing it into the trash – rather than allowing it to stick to your pipes. We’d also recommend slowly pouring a hot kettle of water down your sink at least once per week, which can help to melt any cooking fats or oils that may be clogging up your sink.
When it comes to food waste, avoid putting foods into the sink that are too sticky or thick to be ground down by a garbage disposal. This includes potato skins, eggshells, banana peels, fruit pits, coffee grounds, and other fibrous food scraps. Instead, be sure to throw these straight from the plate into the garbage can, or compost your waste for an environmentally friendly option.
Avoiding Chemical Drain Cleaners
When pools of water start gathering around your feet in the shower, or your sink just won’t clear, the first thing most homeowners reach for is a chemical drain cleaner.
While many of these products promise to remove clogs in minutes, they tend to contain harsh chemicals like sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide, or sulfuric and hydrochloric acid, which are all highly corrosive. Not only can they damage your pipes, but these chemicals can also cause burns and respiratory issues if inhaled, as well as containing water sources after being washed down the drain.
Instead, try using eco-friendly, natural drain cleaners to safely clear the blockage. One option is to pour ½ cup of dish soap down the drain followed by plenty of boiling water, which should then sit for 15 minutes before being flushed. Check out the next section for some more DIY drain cleaning solutions that won’t damage your plumbing system.
DIY Solutions for Minor Clogs
More often than not, a few basic pantry items are all that’s needed to avoid drain blockages once and for all. Try these easy DIY solutions to dislodge any excess hair, food waste, grease, or other debris that’s preventing your sink from draining properly.
Baking Soda and Vinegar Method
If water is taking too long to drain, baking soda and vinegar are some of the best materials for clearing minor clogs. When combined, the blend of acid and sodium bicarbonate creates carbon dioxide and water that bubbles up, therefore breaking the blockage into loose material.
Follow these steps to unblock your drain using this method:
- Pour one pot of boiling water down the clogged drain.
- Pour ½ cup of baking soda down the drain, followed by 1 cup of vinegar.
- Cover with the drain plug, and leave for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Wash the mixture away by pouring another pot of boiling water down the drain.
Using this method too often is also not the best for your pipes, so use it sparingly instead of harsher chemical cleaners.
Using a Plunger
It’s likely that you already have a plunger stashed away in your DIY cupboard, and you may be surprised to hear that using it on your drain is one of the easiest methods for clearing any blockages. By pushing and pulling on the handle, plungers form an airtight seal that forces the clog through the pipe.
To do this effectively with a sink or shower drain, use rags to plug overflow holes and scoop out any excess water, before placing a plunger with a standard cup over the drain. Keep it straight to avoid breaking the seal, moving it up and down for 20 to 30 seconds.
For a toilet, you’ll first need to switch off the water supply and use a bucket to empty half the toilet bowl if it’s overflowing. Then, use a flange plunger to unblock the toilet drain, which creates an effective seal in the bowl with its extended piece of rubber.
Using a Drain Snake
Drain snakes or augers are a type of thin metal cable that reaches deep into drains and pulls out any debris backward, making them ideal for major or awkward clogs. Try this method if your shower or sink is draining slowly, and you should be able to dislodge debris that’s located as far as 25 feet down the pipes!
When using a drain snake, always wear safety gloves and goggles, as the end of the cable features a sharp corkscrew spring that can cause injuries if mishandled. Flush with water if there are any liquid drain openers before snaking, and be careful while pulling out the clog to avoid any splash back.
When to Call a Professional Drain Plumber
While there are plenty of methods for effectively tackling blocked drains yourself, it can be incredibly frustrating when water begins to pool in the bathtub again, or your sink returns to draining slowly.
So, if you’re struggling to get rid of those stubborn clogs, call a professional drain cleaning service in any of the following planned or emergency plumbing situations:
Persistent or Recurring Clogs
Repeated obstructions within your drainage system often indicate a more serious issue that can cause permanent damage if not dealt with as quickly as possible. Some of the most common causes of persistent clogs include:
- Mineral or limescale buildup
- Tree roots
- Non-flushable items
- Misaligned wastewater pipes
Multiple Clogged Drains
If more than one drain across your kitchen, bathroom, and outside spaces is clogged, it suggests that there may be a serious issue with your main sewer line. All of the sinks, showers, bathtubs, and toilets within your home connect to one large drain, which may be blocked by anything from tree roots to grease.
Alternatively, pipes within the wider sewage system may have cracked or even collapsed, especially if the surrounding ground has shifted significantly since being installed.
Unpleasant Odors
While scented candles and room spray may cover up that foul smell coming from your sink or shower, they won’t address the root cause, which could be something far more sinister.
For instance, bad drain odors can suggest the presence of bacteria, which feed on the pipes and produce hydrogen sulfide gas. Mold may also be growing on the debris that’s blocking your drains, especially in warm and wet areas, which can weaken the integrity of the entire plumbing system over time.
Ready to Prevent Clogged Drains?
Installing drain strainers, avoiding tipping food waste or grease into the sink, and regularly using natural drain cleaners – these are just some of the most effective methods for keeping your drains clear and maintaining a top-quality plumbing system.
However, if you’re struggling to get rid of those stubborn clogs or are concerned that your pipes aren’t working quite as they should, getting a professional plumber in to take a look at the problem is essential for avoiding permanent system damage.
At Waywest Mechanical, our experts are available 24 hours a day, 7 days per week to tackle plumbing emergencies of all sizes in Nanaimo and surrounding areas. Call today at 250-616-1446 or contact us online and we’ll dispatch a team ASAP to diagnose the issue and fix your clogged drains for good.