Drains can clog, plug, reverse direction, and back up in the plumbing line for numerous and sometimes seemingly obscure reasons, such as weather or the way plumbing pipes are laid out and installed.
Repeat offenders, the fixtures that seem to clog and plug up the most are toilets, bathroom sinks, and kitchen sinks. All three drains can plug for different reasons.
The prime culprit for a toilet clog is toilet paper. Too much toilet paper, too many plies, and too many people using the facilities. This is particularly true for households that are on septic systems, but it will also happen with toilets on municipal drain systems.
Many items, other than toilet paper, that are flushed can cause a clog, whether it is on purpose or accidentally. This can range from facial tissue, “flushable wipes”, menstrual products, napkins, diapers, cat litter, hygiene products, dental floss, and toys that have been dropped in the bowl while playing.
Plumbers have pulled some unusual items from toilet drains, such as false teeth, cell phones, syringes, jewellery, and keys.
In addition, in hard water areas such as Barrie, calcium can build up under the rim, in the bowl where the water sits, and in the integral trap, leading to clogs. Plumbtech can supply and install whole-house water softeners to prevent calcium buildup in plumbing systems and fixtures.
The bathroom sink can become plugged easily and frequently for different reasons. Bathroom sink drains are the receptacle of hair, soap, toothpaste, and other debris, which meld together into gunk. The gunk builds up, and water begins to drain slowly, eventually filling the sink, and draining stops.
The kitchen sink ranks as one of the most-used drains in the house. Anything from accumulated food bits, coffee grounds, and grease can plug it.
Prevention is the Key to a Healthy Drain
That means, in essence, to keep anything that has the potential to clog out of the drain. Use a mesh drain screen to catch any debris from going down the kitchen sink and dispose of it regularly. Let hot grease, bacon fat, or cooking fat solidify and dispose of it in the green bin. If the fat stays liquid, collect it in a container with a lid before disposing of it in the garbage.
Mop up excess food and fat, including salad oil, on dishes before placing them in the dishwasher. Grease and fat may appear liquid when it’s warm, but they may solidify in a cold drain.
Also, collect and dispose of coffee grounds in the green bin. Run hot water through the sink and bathroom drains to help keep them clear.
A smaller mesh screen can catch hair from going down the bathroom sink drain, as well as laundry lint from utility sink drains. Hair and soap scum can also collect in the shower or bathtub drain.
However, if your fixture drain clogs, it’s best not to deal with it yourself. Call Plumbtech for help at 705-722-7209. The Barrie-based company has the experience and a variety of equipment to handle it.
Drains may also clog because of weather, freezing temperatures, and windchill, if they are located on an outside wall that has minimal insulation or in a cupboard that has no access to heat from the room when the door is closed. Leave the cupboard door ajar if on an outside wall.
If multiple fixture drains are clogged, the main drain will be impacted. If it becomes plugged, wastewater will reverse direction and back up into the house.
Trees and shrubbery growing outside have roots that are in need of water to grow. They find it in the drain pipe, but too many roots will clog the drain. Some investigation work will be required to determine the source of the clog, such as using a drain camera. For help, call Plumbtech Plumbing at 705-722-7209.
There is a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week emergency line, too, and a live person answers the phone at the same number.
