Nobody want’s to be in the position of dealing with a blocked drain. Not only can it cause major disruption to your day-to-day life, if the issue is severe, it can also put a rather big dent in your wallet.
Worst of all is learning that the blockage could have been avoided. In fact, the majority of drainage issues we deal with are caused by the things that we are flushing down our sinks and toilets.
As the old saying goes “prevention is better than cure”. By being more mindful of what we place down the drains, we can help alleviate potential drainage problems in the future.
In this blog we will cover some important tips to follow to help prevent blocked drains.
Some tips for the bathroom
Did you know one of the biggest causes of blocked drains in London and across the UK, is people flushing nappies and wet wipes down the toilet? Whilst flushable wipes are now becoming more common (although we’d still recommend disposal in the bin), nappies especially are not designed to be flushed down the toilet.
Nappies are not designed to degrade in water and will therefore get stuck somewhere in your pipe. If this does happen to you, you might be lucky enough to be able to clear it with a plunger, but more often than not, the blockage occurs deeper within your drainage system and will typically require the use of professional drain unblocking equipment to clear the blockage.
Hair is also another common of blocked drains in bathrooms. Those of you with longer hair will have no doubt have had to deal with removing a plug of hair from your shower stall at one point in time! We’d recommend installing a hair trap or guard to prevent it from being washed down the drain.
Another cause of blocked toilet is from feminine products. Again, these are not designed to be flushed down the toilet and should be disposed of in the bin.
Whilst you may think it’s harmless flushing a nappy or wet wipe down the toilet every now and again, small build ups over time, can result in a bigger blockage in the future.
Just remember the three P’s. Pee, Poo and Paper, anything else, throw it out!
Some tips for the kitchen
Blockages in the kitchen are typically caused by improper disposal of fats and food waste. Whilst it might be convenient to dispose of the fat from that awesome steak you grilled to perfection down the sink, hey it’s just a liquid right? The fact is that cooking oils, fats and grease will solidify when they cool down, and this can cause a major blockage.
You may have read on the news just recently about the 1,000-meter-long fatberg found in Birmingham (https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/giant-fatberg-broken-up-after-24556439) that resulted in 500 hours of water blasting and months of roadworks to clear the blockage. You can only imagine just how much that ended up costing to clear!
Don’t let that happen to you. NEVER pour grease, fat, or oil down your sink.
Food scraps are also another common cause of a blocked sink in the kitchen. Don’t be tempted to get rid of them down the sink. Scrape all leftovers into the bin before putting the plate in the sink or dishwasher.
You may want to consider installing a strainer in your sink to help catch any food waste before it has an opportunity to make its way into the drain.
Choose Flo-Well to Deal with Your London Drainage Problems
If you do find yourself dealing with a blocked drain, and you’ve tried the supermarket drain unblockers to no avail, it’s best to call in the professionals.
It’s important that a blocked drain is dealt with as a matter of urgency, so it doesn’t become a bigger and more expensive problem in the near future.
Here at Flo-Well we provide expert drain unblocking services to customers across London and the Southeast. Our engineers are available 24/7. If you have a blocked drain London, call us today to book an emergency call out.