Clogged drains

So lets say you have a kitchen sink, and you realise that water is taking a little longer to run off than normally, you may hear a bubbling sound when the water is running off or even you may have the need to use the plunger to relieve the excess blockage in the system, these are signs of possibly the drainage sink or the entire system being clogged.

This is a do it yourself blog therefore I am going to list preventative measures that can be taken to alleviate such problems.

The following are an outline of tips that can be used to assist in maintaining effect run off flow within your home

1. DO NOT PUT FOOD HUMAN HAIR OR LARGE OBJECTS INTO YOUR DRAIN PIPE.  This can be seen as the number one cause of blockages experienced in homes. It may be a case where you may have finished eating and the few grains of rice are washed into the drain pipe. However, when such items organically break down deposits form around the circumference of the drain pipe that gradually reduces the passage available for water to flow out of the system. Eventually the drainage systems take longer to dispose of water and eventually a blockage forms.
2. Preventative maintenance – this would entail the application of degreasing fluid into the system in an attempt to allow free flow of refuse. Examples degreasers are Drano and Drain Opener that can be bought at any hardware store. I personally use Muriatic Acid however, please take precaution in the application of these chemicals. Wear masks to cover your face and protective gloves. There are however other alternative methods that can be used that are of an organic nature that can be found online. This process will work well if a conscious effort is place to apply these degreasers into your system either every 4 to 6 months.  Its aim is to prevent likely hood of plumbing arteries being completely clogged.
3. In the event that the drainage system becomes clogged where by water runs off slowly, usually the application of a degreaser and a plunger is used to relieve the clogged system.

Worst case scenario.

The worst case scenario would be whereby instead of water running out of the drain, you may be experiencing a total back up in the system whereby the water does not run off at all. It means that the system is completely blocked. This is a terrible position to be in. This requires one of two things

1. If you are familiar on how the plumbing system is designed you can use a water hose with water on and flush the system until the blockage is removed. This is terrible because of the dirt and smell you will encounter and the amount of hassle that will be encountered leaves you tired and disgusted.
2. Call a plumber. The plumber will be equipped with a device called a plumber’s snake that will be used to de-clog the system. This is terrible because your going to have to take your hard earned money and pay someone to fix a problem that could have been prevented. This is a DIYS project thus the last thing you want to do is pay someone that you can do for your own.

in conclusion a lot of simple problems can mitigated through the use of preventative maintenance. So unless you want to be unclogging waste water pipe at instead of enjoying a cool relaxing evening, take my stupid advice.

I am going to bathe.  Goodnight.