Blocked drains can be a a problem no more with these all-important tips
Blocked drains can be a a problem no more with these all-important tips
Blocked drains can be one of the worst type of household emergencies. The worst thing is that they come without any notice. Unpleasant odors, flooding of your house and loss of power are the worst aspects of a blocked drain. If you are a business that is impacted the disruption can result in loss of customer and staff goodwill with the associated lost productivity and sales revenue.
There are some simple preventative measures that you can take to reduce the likelihood of a blocked drain whether it is through structural defects or foreign objects and they are listed below.
Keep a habit of removing any trapped hairs from the drain plug immediately.
Small sized objects like combs, medicine bottles and toilet rolls should be carefully placed to prevent their accidental slipping into the toilet.
It is a good practice to use disinfectants and hot water to flush the wash basin, bath and shower pipes on a regular basis as this can be very effective in removing soap residue and avoids its accumulation with time.
One should never flush disposable items that are large in size such as sanitary towels, nappies and product wrappings in the toilet as they can get trapped in the drainage lines.
Instead of disposing the waste food scraps and cuttings down the drain they can rather be used as a compost.
If any items do fall into the sink pull the vegetable material out of the plug hole, do not try to poke through as you could impact the blockage making it harder to remove.
You must remember that cooked fats, on exposure to cold water, can thicken and finally solidify, so never dispose them off in the sink. When there are no other options other than flushing fats into the sink, dilute and soften the fats or other foods using hot water and detergent, so that they go through easily without blocking. Run the water for a while after this, so that the the oil is completely flushed out and the pipes remain clear.
Carrying out regular maintenance considerably reduces the possibilities of drainage blocks.
The gutters and rain downpipes of house roofs should be inspected at least every six months.
Take care when working at height but remove any accumulated debris and leaves with a trowel.
Regularly check that your drains are free-flowing by periodically lifting the inspection covers and make sure that these can easily be accessed.
Make sure that the external drain grids are protected from garden materials, fallen leaves or accumulation of moss in autumn.
External drains can also be washed by using disinfectant and hot water in a manner similar to the internal drains.
A business house should ideally get a CCTV drain inspection service to survey and check the drainage system periodically. By doing all the above, you can easily keep a watch on the proper functioning of your drainage system, maintaining its structure, and you can identify the risks of unexpected blockages well before you face them.