Dealing with problems in your household can be excruciating, and more often than not, we tend to learn basic maintenance things when it is too late and when we need to fix the problem right away. If you want to learn how to deal with the most common problems that can happen in your home, then you must start with learning how to fix, prevent, and clean clogged drains.
In this 2024 guide, we are going to give you some basic maintenance tips, and we will help you learn how to deal with clogged drains. Continue reading if you want to find out what you need to do as soon as you notice the problem, how to prevent it, and how to detect the common signs that there is something wrong with your plumbing.
Act as soon as possible
If you notice that there is a clogged drain in your household, you need to do something about it as soon as possible. Note that if you ignore this problem, it may lead to permanent damage to your pipes and even flooding.
There are many things that you can do, and if you want to test out your skills, you may want to try some DIY things. The first thing you need to do is get yourself a good cleaning solution that will help you out with it. On the current market, there are many products that can help you out, just know that you should look for items that are not too harsh, and that will not cause damage. Remember that these chemicals can be toxic if inhaled, so always use protective gloves and masks that will prevent any health problems.
Pour the solution down the drain, and wait for at least two hours before doing anything else. After a few hours have passed, boil a few liters of water and pour them down the popes. This will help remove any clogging or items that are stuck in it.
You can also use a plumber’s snake to try and physically remove any items that may be stuck in the pipes. These tools can be found in pretty much any home store, and you can even find them in your local mall.
If you are looking for a more natural solution, then you can pour some baking soda into the pipes and follow that with some warm vinegar. This will help unclog the pipes and you will notice bubbling as soon as you pour the warm acid over the soda. Just like with the chemical products, you should wait for a while and pour boiling water.
These are some of the things you can do to unclog your pipes, and all of these should be able to help unless there is a serious issue with your drain, and if there isn’t anything too big stuck in them.
Remember that no matter what you choose to do, you should never be too harsh, you should never use force, and you should never use dangerous chemicals that may do more damage than good.
Talk to a professional
Know that when it comes to plumbing issues, you need to know when you can do things on your own, and when you need to consult with a professional. In some cases, you may be able to get things done on your own, and you may even be able to unclog your drain without any expert’s assistance. However, if you don’t know what you are doing, and if you don’t have any experience with plumbing, you may do more damage than good.
As you can see on websites like lpgs.com.au, a professional plumber can help you out no matter what the issue is, and they will help you with the diagnostic, solution, and they can also give you advice on how to avoid these problems.
Sometimes it is best to consult the experts before you try to do anything on your own, and you should not risk spending a lot of time and money on making a mistake when you try to DIY this project and then have the professionals fix your errors as well.
Prevent problems
The easiest way to deal with obstructed pipes is to prevent this from happening. The easiest way to do this is to pay attention to what you pour down the drain and clean them regularly, even if there is no problem at all.
Never pour cooking oil or grease in your sink, and be careful about food leftovers that may cause the obstruction. In most cases, things like clothes, hair, and even coffee leftovers can cause obstruction, so you should dispose of them in the proper way.
If you notice that the water is not flowing out as fast as it is supposed to, if you can see that there is an issue and you have to wait for a long time for your sink to be emptied, or even if there is a stench coming out of your pipes, it means that you need to clean them as soon as possible.
In most cases, the obstruction will not happen right away, and there are small things like grease and coffee leftovers that build up in time. All of this can be prevented if you do regular maintenance and if you clean your drain.
Remember that you can use products to do this process weekly, and by doing this, you will prevent any potential problems. However, in some cases, no matter what you do, it will not help, so you should talk to your plumber and get them to check all of the pipes at least once or twice per year. Note that this quick process can make a lot of difference in the long run, and you will never have to look for emergency services.
Follow this guide, so you never have to worry about permanent damage, and find a good plumber even before something bad happens. Maintain your drains, look for the common signs that they are obstructed, and never postpone cleaning and declogging them.