In our previous blog post, we talked about how to protect your kitchen plumbing during the holiday season, citing FOG (fats, oils, and grease) as one of the leading causes of kitchen sink drain clogs.
This is true, but this isn’t the only type of drain clog you’ll ever need to worry about. The truth is, your plumbing system can suffer from a variety of different types of drain clogs, all of them varying in severity.
Read on as we uncover some of the most common causes for a clogged drain and what to do–and not to do–about them.
Not Using the Garbage Disposal Properly
This was a big part of our previous blog post, but it bears mentioning again, because if you didn’t read that last one and plan on having a big holiday meal, you need this tip!
Sure, you’ve probably heard the tip to run hot water when you’re using your garbage disposal system as this helps food and cooking byproducts go down easier, but the fact is, many people put items down their garbage disposal and kitchen sink drain in general that really shouldn’t go down there.
This includes:
- Fibrous vegetables and fruit trimmings, like celery
- Eggshells and potato skins that can jam up the disposal
- FOG (fats, oils, and grease) which your garbage disposal can’t help at all when it congeals and sticks to the sides of the drainpipe!
- Hard food items like meat bones or fruit pits.
Flushing Inappropriate Items Down the Toilet
Now, you’re not entirely responsible for this. The unfortunate truth is that there have been a lot of companies coming out with “flushable” wipes, whether it’s baby wipes, makeup removing wipes, etc. But, just because they’re marketed as such doesn’t mean they’re a good idea to flush!
The problem is that they don’t break down fast enough. So if you’re flushing them down the toilet every day, or sometimes even multiple times a day, eventually it’s going to create a clog.
Other things that shouldn’t go down the toilet include trash, paper towels, and food–yes, tell your guests if they don’t like Auntie Ruth’s fruitcake this holiday season, it needs to go in the trash, not down the toilet!
Not Investing in Routine Plumbing Maintenance and Drain Cleaning
When you encounter stubborn clogs or insurmountable backups in your plumbing system, are you trying to resolve the problem on your own? We mean, are you reaching for that bottle of liquid drain cleaning chemical that you bought at the store?
Unfortunately, these “solutions” can do more harm than good. They’re caustic, first off, so consistent use of them can eventually lead to plumbing corrosion. Secondly, they only work on certain types of clogs (like hair) and not all clogs. So they just end up building up and causing worse clogs later on.
Instead of relying on this, you should be scheduling annual plumbing maintenance and drain cleaning to help prevent problems like this. This service will also help you avoid unexpected leaks and plumbing repairs as we’ll be able to check the entire plumbing system thoroughly.
To resolve your Brownfield, TX clogged drain, look no further than JD’s Prompt Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning. Contact us today!