Clogged drains are an incredibly common plumbing issue. But that doesn't make them any less unsanitary. Or difficult to deal with, particularly if they're recurring. If you're struggling with a drainage problem, you might be wondering what causes the clog in the first place and how you can prevent it from happening again.
The cause can vary depending on where in the house the drain is located. Floor or bathroom drains are going to have different clog causes than, say, a kitchen drain. Nevertheless, a build-up of debris is generally why you would need a clogged drain repair in Vancouver.
Kitchen Drains
The most common problem that causes clogs is the result of people flushing things down their drain pipes that they really shouldn't. And a clogged kitchen drain is no exception to this issue.
Your wastewater drains are really only made to accommodate wastewater. If you've got an in-sink garbage disposal, then you can get away with some but not all food scraps. But with or without a garbage disposal, clogs in the kitchen are caused by food waste debris and solidified fat, oil, or grease.
Like many people, you might think that pouring liquified grease into a drain is fine, as long as you chase it down with a bit of hot water. But that only rinses it out of the sink. Once in your drain, it coats the pipe's wall and cools, solidifying into a sticky substance that traps other debris that you wash down the pipe. The end result is a disgusting, rotting kitchen drain clog that can only be dislodged with the proper drain cleaning equipment and drain repair services.
Bathroom Drains
Your bathroom contains the widest variety of drains of any room in the house, so it's not that surprising that it's the site of many drain repair issues. If you've got a clogged shower drain, for instance, that's often caused by a clump of hair that's gotten tangled up with soap scum, exfoliating beads, shaving foam, and other substances that you wash down your drain.
The easiest way to prevent a shower drain clog is by using drain guards that prevent hair and other debris from being washed down your drain. With that, you won't need professional drain repair in Vancouver as frequently.
Toilets, though, are a different matter altogether. Toilets are designed to handle toilet paper, human waste, and wastewater, but anything else should be kept far away from your toilet bowl. Some of the items that you should keep away from include:
- Paper towels and tissues
- Baby wipes or "flushable" wipes (they're NOT flushable)
- Diapers
- Cotton swabs and bolls
- Newspaper
- Feminine hygiene products
- Small toys
- Items like razor blades or shampoo bottle caps
- Food and medication
- Dental floss
- Beauty products
- Cat litter
- Cigarette butts
Main Sewer Line Blockages
Now, sometimes what seems like just another clog can have nothing to do with your fixtures and what you're putting down your drains.
If you've got a blockage in your main line or in a buried sewer line, then that's a serious problem that calls for immediate drain and sewer line repair. While Vancouver is full of beautiful, tree-lined streets, those trees can cause problems for buried sewer lines. Trees can wrap their roots around underground pipes and put pressure on them until they crack or burst open.
It can also be that the main drain stack inside your home is clogged, and that’s why you need drain repair in Vancouver. That can result in disgusting sewer backups, which result in thousands of dollars in water and sewage damage, which can include structural damage like wood rot, mildew, and mould. Anyone who has had to deal with extensive water damage can tell you it's far easier (and cheaper) to repair your drains than deal with the worst-case scenario.
