Clogged drains are caused by a buildup of hard water minerals, hair, dirt, grease, food, coffee grounds and soap scum. Any of these things can work alone or in combination to clog your drains. A buildup takes time and requires a modicum of neglect in order to completely clog a drain. By performing regular drain maintenance, after calling for professional Drain Cleaning services, you can keep your drains flowing and clog free.
Protect your pipes from hard water buildup. The minerals in this type of water include calcium bicarbonate, lime, iron, magnesium carbonate and other minerals. These minerals hardened and clog drains. Pour vinegar and other acid cleaners (lemon juice, oxalic acid, phosphoric acid, hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid) down your drain regularly to weaken the buildup of mineral deposits, allowing it to be washed off the drain’s interior walls.
Bathroom Sink, Shower and Tub Maintenance
Cover your drains with a drain trap or screen to catch hair and soap scum when it’s flowing down the drain. Apply moisturizing oil to your skin outside of the tub or shower stall. Always flush the tub, sink or shower with hot water after each use. Periodically, about once a month pour a cup of vinegar down the drain. Let it sit for 30 minutes and then flush with at least two quarts of boiling hot water.
Bathroom Toilet Maintenance
Toilets only clog when non-biodegradable items are flushed into its pipes regularly. Never put anything other than soft paper and human waste in the toilet. If ever your toilet is filled to capacity, flush and then flush again until the bowl is filled with clean water.
Kitchen Sink and Disposal Maintenance
The kitchen sink is used to clean dishes removing food particles and grease that gets washed into the drain. A little grease is manageable. Super hot water can flush some food and some grease down the pipes. Too much of either will eventually clog the pipes. To prevent this from happening, you must clean the drain with a liquid that can break down the buildup on your pipes interior walls. Vinegar is organic and it’s far less corrosive than the chemical drain cleaners. The acetic acid in vinegar eats off the buildup without causing harm to the pipes. Always flush the drain with boiling hot water after using vinegar to clean it.
The disposal can also become clogged. Stop putting coffee grounds in the disposal. Instead, put your grounds in the trash or use them as mulch.
Regular maintenance will keep your drains free of clogs. Add a drain trap and rinse your drains after each use with super hot water. Never wash oil or grease down your drains. If you follow these simply steps, your drains should always function like newly installed plumbing.
Are you looking for Drain Cleaning services in the St. Louis area? Look no further than Performance Plumbing, call us today at (636) 332-8220.