3 Crucial Maintenance Tips for Your Residential Drains
Your home's plumbing system comprises two main components — a water supply line and a wastewater disposal system. The water line supplies clean water to your home while the wastewater disposal system carries wastewater out of your home and ensures its safe disposal. Both are essential to maintain cleanliness at home and promote good health.
Regular care of your residential drains is a must if you want to continue enjoying the convenience they add to modern living. Here are some crucial maintenance tips to help keep the drains working smoothly and efficiently.
1. Be Mindful of What Goes Down Your Drains
When it comes to residential drains, it's important to be aware of what is and what isn't okay to send down the drains. Pouring or flushing the wrong stuff down the drains is a sure-fire way to invite clogging problems. For example, nothing other than water, toilet paper, and human excreta should be flushed down your toilet drains. Sanitary waste such as soiled feminine hygiene products and disposable baby diapers should be dumped in the trash rather than the toilet.
2. Clean Your Drains Regularly
Clogged drains are one of the most common plumbing issues faced by homeowners. The good news is that they can be prevented by undertaking regular drain cleaning. A variety of techniques including traditional drain cleaning with snakes and augers, hydro-jetting, and air-burst drain cleaning can be employed to clean your drains and dislodge clogs that may have formed inside them from regular use. This helps to clear minor clogs that may worsen and cause major blockages if left unaddressed over time.
3. Clear Small Clogs ASAP
Clogging can still occur in your drains, even with proper use and regular care. If you see the signs of clogged drains, you should grab your plunger and fix the problem right away. Taking prompt action helps to prevent major blockages that may disrupt the smooth operation of your drains and lead to huge drain repair bills.
Some of the common signs you may have a clogging issue with your drains include slow drains, gurgling toilets, and rising water levels in your sinks, toilet, bathtub, and other plumbing fixtures in your home.
As part of routine plumbing maintenance, you should have a local plumber check your drains regularly. This will help to catch problems early and have them repaired before they exacerbate and result in expensive repair bills.