All That You Need To Know About Your Blocked Drains

Blocked drains are always a cause of problems for you and your family members. It can disturb the peace of your house. Everyone wants their drains flowing freely. You can hire a drainage company to help with this.

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Ignoring your blocked drains can become serious. It can cause serious issues for your house or property. If blocked drains remain unsolved then they can cause many major issues. Worst case scenario you could have collapsed drains which is not a quick fix, it requires installing new drains.

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If your drain is blocked you likely want to know what’s caused it, the effects and how to fix it. Carry on reading this blog as it could be very handy.

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Causes of Blocked Drains

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There are many causes of blocked drains. If you ignore these they lead to serious issues. Some of the most important reasons for drain blockage are as follows;

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  • Hair; Hair is the most famous cause of blocked drains. Usually, people ignore hairs in the shower tray. They enter the drainage pipes and then they block the flowing wastewater from your house.

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• • Fat; Accumulation of fat or oil is another most important cause of blocked drains. When fat passes through the drains it collects inside them and causes the drains to stop flowing freely.

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• • Food Waste; Usually kitchen drains are blocked because of the waste food passing through the drains from the kitchen sink.

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• • Soap Scum; Soap scum can also gather in the drains when drains are not cleaned for a very long time and then as a result the durian blocks.

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• • Wet Wipes; Wet Wipes when flushed through the toilet, instead of throwing them in the dustbin, pile up in the drain and cause blocked drains.

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• • Mud and stones; Mud and stones can also easily enter your drain pipes or can also come to your house from the main drain pipes and then cause your drains to block.

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• • Leaves; Leaves and roots from the trees of your home garden can also enter your drain pipes and cause your drains to block completely by compiling them with other waste such as hair.

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   1. Sometimes, children can also throw their toys in the drains and this leads to serious drain problems.

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These are not all the causes of drain blockage but they are the most common of them. Maybe your drain keeps blocking? This might mean you need professional advice as it indicates something more serious is going on.

How can you tell if your drain is blocked?

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The most important sign of a drain blockage is that the water stops flowing from the drain but sometimes, water runs slowly, which is a less noticeable symptom. As a result of this happening over time, your drains are completely blocked and you have to pay for them to get fixed.

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If you have noticed the rising water level of your drain then it is the main sign that your drains are starting to block. When drains begin blocking, the water level rises which shows in your bathrooms and kitchen drains.

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Toilet bubbling is another sign of the blockage of the drain. Usually, you can’t hear the bubbling of the toilet but if you are listening to different sounds from the drains of your toilet or kitchen then it is now confirmed that your drains are blocked.

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The slow flow of water is also a sign of drain blockage. If you are bathing and the water from your bathtub is moving slowly then it must be a sign of blockage of your drain. When there is an accumulation of oil, mud, hair, or leaves in your drainage then water can’t go smoothly so the flow of water could be affected.

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If you notice a bad smell coming from the drain of your kitchen or bathtub then it could be a sign of a blockage. When a drain gets blocked, water doesn’t flow, as a result, this produces bad odors in the house drains.

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Water coming out from the opening of the drains is also a sign of serious blocked drains. If you notice water on the floor of your kitchen or in your bathroom then it is a very serious cause and you should quickly contact an expert.

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How to clean your Blocked Drain?

There are many tips and techniques that you can use to clean your blocked drains. Not every tip is for everyone but you can try one of them to get rid of the blocked drains.

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Use of Baking soda or Vinegar

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The use of baking soda is very common for fixing blocked drains. If you want to use this remedy then you can mix an equal amount of salt with the baking soda.

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Pour it into your drain after an hour and then pour boiling water inside. You can also pour vinegar into it. Hope this home remedy works for you.

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Drain Blockage Caustic Cleaners

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Pro drain blockage are available in the market that can easily fix the blocked drains. Many of them have caustic soda in so you can buy them, pour them in the drain and wait until your drains are unblocked.

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Use of Drain Snake

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The use of drain snakes is one of the most effective methods of fixing a blocked drain. You can place an iron wire into the drain, which can easily move the waste forward and open your drain. You can also use a clothes hanger and fold it in such a way as to make a drain snake.

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Use of Vacuum

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If you have a vacuum either dry or wet, you can easily vacuum in the required place and then can suck the waste material from your drain. This is one of the very effective methods used for the opening of toilets and bathtubs.

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CCTV Camera

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In severe forms of blocked drains, when you can’t find the reason for the blockage and nothing is working then experts insert a CCTV camera in the drain with a drain snake type professional instrument which can easily clear the way for the water. This method can only be used by experts.

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The unearthing of the Drainage Area

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If the drain issue is severe and the pipes are repeatedly blocked, it’s possible you have to dig up the area to have a look at the drains. This is the work of the experts so don’t try to do it on your own. During this process, the drainage experts dig the area where the damaged drain is found and then replace the pipe with a new one.

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Pipe Relining or Replacement

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If you can afford it, then it is better in severe cases to fully reline or replace the drain. Although it is very costly, it helps you to avoid future problems with your drains and potentially a whole new drainage system in the future.

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How to Avoid Blocked Drains?

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Now you are well aware of the problems of the blocked drains, it’s easy to adopt precautions to prevent your home from blockages. There are many tips that you can follow, some of them are mentioned below;

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  • Use a strainer; always use a strainer in your sink or kitchen so waste food products and all the stuff that can cause the blockage of the drains remain away from your drains. This way, small debris or food never goes into the drain and there is no chance for their accumulation of waste in the drains.

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• • Use of cold water; when you pour cold water into the drain directly it could be dangerous because if there is grease or oil in the drain the cold water freezes them and as a result, they remain stuck in the drain and in the future can block your drain.

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But if you are using a disposal unit then you should frequently run cold water through your drain to make it more effective.

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  • Drop boiling water; it is one of the great practices to drop boiling water into your drains. It can melt all the debris, dust, and food particles and can clean your drain. This can increase the lifespan of your drains too. This is the cheapest and most effective method to use.

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• • Never dispose of oils; in your kitchen always avoid disposing of oil in the drain. It can easily accumulate in the drain and within no time your drains can block up.

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• • Don’t throw pads and tampons; some people consider it safe to throw tampons and pads down the drain along with wet wipes. It is not safe for your drains because they contain plastic and they can block your drains so badly that you may end up needing excavation.

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• • Regular Inspection of drains; by following all the methods, it is also necessary to regularly inspect your drains so you can save yourself from a big loss. Annual servicing of your drains ensures peace of mind as a homeowner.

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Finally, we can say that our drains need attention like other parts of our house maintenance as they are an important part of the house. You should properly inspect them and if they become blocked then hire a professional team to clear them. This can save you time, and money and provide you peace of mind for future problems arising from blocked drains in Bristol again.