Preventing Clogged Sinks or Toilets

I’m not a plumber although we’ll do minor repairs at My Handyman. When i saw this great article from someone who is a plumber, and writes useful information … I wanted to share it with you. From Raymond Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning (often you’ll see HVAC), learn how you can avoid one of the most common plumbing repairs.

Preventing Clogged Drains

These days we’re all watching our budgets. No one wants an unnecessary repair bill; but as we mentioned in our last post, there are times when trying to repair it yourself can actually cost more. Plumbing is one of those home repair areas where homeowners often overestimate their skills. Delaying a call to the plumber can allow a small problem to become a big and much more expensive problem. There are a number of things, however, that homeowners can do to keep their plumbing system working efficiently and minimize the need for plumbing repairs.

Backups cause most plumbing emergencies. If your sink or tub drain backs up, grease or hair are the most likely culprits. Limit potential problems by preventing these materials from entering drains.

• In the kitchen, strain grease into an empty soup can or allow it to congeal before disposing of it in the trash.
• If grease does get poured down the drain, you can minimize potential damage by pouring a cup of vinegar, a squirt of liquid detergent and boiling water down the drain.
• In the bathroom, use mesh or plastic strainers from the hardware store to catch hair before it goes down the drain.
• Every few days, remove the tub/shower drain cap and pull loose hair out of the drain. Fringe the ends of a plastic straw and use it to hook loose hair.
• Once a month use a drain cleaning product to keep drains clean.

Toilet clogs are another source of emergency plumbing calls. Keep a plunger by each toilet, and plunge vigorously at the first sign of clogging. Never flush sanitary napkins, disposable diapers or disposable wipes down a toilet, even if the box labels them “flushable.” They aren’t. Keep objects away from toilet tanks and keep toilet lids closed to prevent inadvertently flushing toys or air fresheners.