5 Reasons Why Your Drains Keep Clogging
The drains in today’s homes must be able to handle a variety of chemicals and materials that can sometimes lead to severe or repeated clogs. Grooming products, food debris and even foreign objects can lead to expensive repairs. If your home drains are experiencing frequent clogging, here are five reasons that may be causing the problem and what you can do to help your drains remain free flowing.
Hair Clogs
The accumulation of hair in the drain can be one of the major causes of clogging. If there are a large number of people in the household, the problem can build exponentially, with normal grooming activities. The best way to avoid constant clogging due to hair is to use an effective drain basket or perforated lid to catch the hair before it goes down the drain.
Soap Scum
Soap is another major cause of clogging in sinks, bathtubs and showers. A small piece of bar soap can get stuck on an irregularity inside a pipe. Over time, this small piece can catch additional pieces of soap, hair and body oils to create a significant obstruction in the drainpipe. Regular use of drain cleaner can help to reduce soap build-up in pipes.
Foreign Objects
Plumbers who have been called in to unclog a drain often find a number of foreign objects that are causing the problem. The caps from bottles, makeup items and even small toys dropped into the sink by children can cause an obstruction in the drain. To clear the item requires separating the pipes and removing the object, so that water can again flow through the pipe freely.
Aging Pipes
In older homes, the pipes may have experienced corrosion, bending or shifting that causes obstructions within the system. These problems can lead to constant clogging that causes inconvenience and may lead to overflowing and damage to flooring and other materials. A thorough inspection of your plumbing system by a qualified contractor will help to pinpoint the problem and provide a good solution.
Tree Roots in System
Trees with extensive root systems can work their way into small cracks in your home’s plumbing system, causing frequent clogging of sinks and toilet backups. If your property has a significant number of trees, you should schedule regular inspections by a reliable plumber to ensure that their root systems are not interfering with proper draining in your home.
Keeping your home drains open and running freely requires regular maintenance and attention to what is going down the drain. If you use a home drain cleaner periodically and have small problems attended to when they first begin, you will have less trouble with drain clogging in your home.