Almost all of us have suffered due to a blocked drain in our kitchen, bathroom, and especially in the toilet. These are one of the most common plumbing problems that people around the globe can encounter. If you do not treat your blockages properly it can lead to leakage and damage to the facility. Thus with drain blockages, the simple motto is the quicker you detect it the quicker should you strive to fix it. As left untreated drain blockages can lead to loss of property and economic losses.
Common causes for Drain Blockage:
Some of the major reasons for the blocked drains are :
Hair: It can bind with grease and other sticky substances to form clogs.
Soap: It is a substance that is formed of grease and fats. It can combine with minerals which can result in the formation of clogs in the drains.
Dirt: Too much amount of dirt can result in the formation of drain blocks which can lead to various problems as stated above.
Food Waste: This is one of the primary criminals when it comes to clogging drains. Once you throw them down the drain, it becomes extremely difficult to break them down and clear the blockage.
Mineral Buildup: The minerals present in hard water can aggregate on top of each other and form aggregates which can lead to the blockage of drains.
Tree roots: A very surprising entry into this list but an effective one nonetheless. Trees can grow through small cracks in the tubes which can lead to leakage, blockage, and ultimately damage to the pipes. It can be quite tricky to clear roots from pipes and might require professional help.
Common measures to fix blocked drains:
Now that you know about the various ways in which drains can be blocked. It is time to look at how you can fix such blocks:
Boiling Water: It can be effective to clear substances that have a low boiling point. Thus it is a very effective and cost-effective method that can be adopted by anyone.
Natural cleaners: The logic behind these methods is to create a fizzing effect that can help us break the blocks. You can pass hot water with some amount of bicarbonate and vinegar. After application of this, we further use hot water after 10 minutes.
Caustic Cleaners: You can buy these cleaners from local shops and can be very effective in clearing blocked drains.
Plungers: These work by the action of vacuum and pulling the clogs out. They are very effective in the removal of blockages.
Drain snake: This is a homemade method and can be applied by anyone. Moreover, you can use long, thin metal wires with hooks on the side to manually clear the blocked areas. This is a cost-effective and very efficient technique.
CCTV: Sometimes it becomes impossible for homemade cures to work effectively. This is the time to bring out the big guns or in this case to call the professionals in this business. CCTV is a camera fitted on a long wire that you can insert. Thus, you will understand the reason and location of the blockage.
Hydro Jet: You fire a sudden burst of water at a great pace that can clear a substantial amount of the blockage. Further, you can follow this up with other techniques to clean up the drain.
Conclusion:
Thus we find that blocked drains can be a menace but is a very frequent occurrence. Most of the time it is advisable to take professional help to prevent further damage and minimize the costs.
