Lets stop these blocked sewers in their tracks
Lets stop these blocked sewers in their tracks
Blocked drains can be one of the worst type of household emergencies. Like many emergencies, there is often no warning before they occur. Nevertheless, the awful feature of blocked drains is that they can give out foul smells and lead to overflow of waste water into your home. If you run a business, loss of productivity and sales revenue can lead to a loss in customer and staff goodwill especially if your business is impacted by this disruption.
The drains get blocked mostly due to foreign objects or some structural problems, so you can always take certain measures to ensure their proper functioning.
Regularly remove any hairs that get trapped in the waste plug hole.
Maintain all other small things like medicine bottles, toilet rolls or combs at a distance from the toilet to avoid them falling into it by mistake.
Regularly flush the wash basin and bath or shower pipework with hot water and a disinfectant to clear soap residue and prevent build up over time.
Large and disposable items such as towels, nappies or product wrappings can clog your drainage pipe and thus should not be flushed down the toilet.
It is a good idea to compost food waste rather than discarding it in the kitchen sink.
You should not try too hard to pull out any vegetable material that might have fallen into the plug hole for it can worsen the blockage.
You must remember that cooked fats, on exposure to cold water, can thicken and finally solidify, so never dispose them off in the sink. If you have no alternative means of disposal, mix the fats with detergent and hot water to cause their dilution and emulsification. To have a clear water flow through the drains after doing this you should keep the water running for about a minute.
The chance of a drainage problem can also be reduced by carrying out some regular maintenance measures.
Make sure that the gutters and drainpipes of your roof are cleared twice a year.
While trying to remove the gathered leaves and debris using a trowel, you should be careful that you do not fall off the ladder.
Keep a regular check on the drains so that they allow free-flow of materials by a periodic check of the inspection covers, also ensure that these have easy accessibility.
To expel out the fallen leaves, autumn moss and other garden materials one should keep the external drain grids clean.
External drains must be flushed with hot water and disinfectant, just as you clean the internal drains.
Technology like a CCTV drain inspection service can be implemented, especially if you are running a business, to monitor the drainage systems on a regular basis ensuring complete freedom from worries. CCTV inspections not only help to monitor the structural condition of drainage pipes but also provides early warnings in case of serious blockages.