Why Are My Drains Frequently Clogged? A Drain Cleaning Service Can Help | New Orleans, LA
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For the most part, homeowners expect their plumbing system to work flawlessly. The thing is, most homeowners don’t do the best job of taking care of their plumbing, which includes hiring a drain cleaning service company every once in a while. The truth is, there are a lot of things that may be leading to frequent drain clogs in your home, some of which may be easily correctable behaviors. If you want to avoid drain cleaning calls and keep the drains in your New Orleans, LA, home running fast, here’s what you need to know.
Toilets
Toilets are probably the most commonly clogged drain in the average house, especially in homes with lots of children. The truth of the matter is, clogging a toilet isn’t very hard to do. Plus, toilet clogs quickly become an even bigger problem if you’re flushing the wrong things down your toilet.
Toilet paper is the only thing you should flush down your toilet if you can help it. As much as you may enjoy the clean feeling of “flushable” wipes, those wipes don’t break down and eventually lead to clogs. Toilet clogs are also commonly caused by other paper products, makeup remover pads, cotton swabs and other miscellaneous bathroom products that people flush down the toilet.
Bathroom Drains
While toilets are a common spot for bathroom drain clogs to occur, your bathroom sink and shower drain are right up there. The biggest problem with the drains in your bathroom is the fact that so much hair goes down the drain, which is usually what leads to drain cleaning service calls.
As far as your shower drain goes, the best thing you can do is install a drain catch to catch hair and soap scum before it causes a clog. While these drain catches work well, it’s important to note that you’ll have to clean them out by hand on a regular basis, and it’s not a pleasant smell.
Installing a drain catch in the sink is also a good idea, although you can also simply change shaving habits. If you or a family member shaves in the bathroom sink, consider trying one of the methods to keep hair out of drains or simply moving to a different shaving spot. It might be a hassle, but it reduces drain cleaning service costs.
Kitchen Sinks
Drain clogs in kitchen sinks aren’t uncommon either. The biggest problem with kitchen sinks is the fact that homeowners think they can put anything in their garbage disposal. The reality is, your garbage disposal is made to handle little bits of food that you can’t easily scrape into the garbage before rinsing a plate, bowl or pan. If you’re putting a bunch of food down the disposal, you’re going to spend more on drain cleaning services.
You can also install a drain catch in the kitchen sink, but it’s not ideal for everybody. Alternatively, you can simply scrape as much food as possible into the garbage can before you rinse your plate off in the sink. While this may take a little more effort, it’s worth it when you consider the drain cleaning cost savings.
Liquid Drain Cleaners
When you have a problem with a drain in your home, chances are you reach for a bottle of liquid drain cleaner. These liquid drain cleaners can actually be quite effective when used properly, but part of that is using the right product. If you’re using a chemical drain cleaner, chances are you’re going to end up needing more than a simple drain cleaning service call.
The problem with chemical drain cleaners like Drano is the chemical reaction they use to remove clogs. This chemical reaction creates heat, which can damage the drain pipes in your home. In severe cases, drain pipes may be damaged so badly they need to be replaced. According to most drain cleaning service professionals, it’s best to use an enzyme-based cleaner that won’t cause damage to pipes.
Risks of Drain Cleaning
If you have a clog at home, you’ve probably tried some basic techniques for getting the clog out. The truth is, you need to be very careful when it comes to cleaning drains because you aren’t a professional.
As far as home drain cleaning efforts go, you should limit yourself to using a liquid drain cleaner and a plunger. If a few days’ worth of liquid drain cleaner won’t remove a clog, you can try using a plunger to create suction on the drain. If you can’t get a clog out with a plunger and liquid drain cleaner, it’s time to call a drain cleaning service company to avoid damaging pipes with a snake or auger.
Why You Need an Expert
If you can’t remove a drain clog with a liquid drain cleaner and plunger, you need to use a snake or auger to physically knock the clog out. The problem is, you can also cause a lot of damage to drain pipes using these tools the wrong way, which is why you need to hire a professional. If you have a clog that you can’t seem to get out with gentle unclogging methods, make sure you call a drain cleaning service expert before you do anything that could damage your home’s plumbing.
Cancel Clogs
Preventing drain clogs in your New Orleans, LA, home can be a tough job, especially if you have several children at home. The good news is, hiring a drain cleaning service company can help supplement your efforts to keep your drains clean.
If your home’s drains could use a good cleaning, bluefrog Plumbing + Drain of New Orleans, LA, is happy to help. With years of experience, we can remove even the toughest of clogs. If you want to prevent drain clogs or if you have a nasty clog you need us to remove, call bluefrog Plumbing + Drain of New Orleans at (504) 229-4848.
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