Pipes clogs and “Fun” are never used in the same sentence around here! It can be quite confusing to figure out, and seem to happen at the worse possible time, every time. No matter, It will be an extremely frustrating task to figure out what caused, and the best way to mitigate the problem. The pipes being clogged are generally caused by the same common reasons we see over and over again. We’ve gone through and found the top three common problems, how to fix them, and how to prevent them from happening in the first place.
Why Do Clogs Occur In The First Place?
Most home piping systems are made sort of like the roots of a tree. You have the trunk of the tree, similar to the mainline that runs the length of the home. This is the mainline where water travels and branches off into the other smaller pipes throughout the house. Like as your bathroom, kitchen, hot water heater, etc. Generally speaking, an inspection is needed to isolate where the clog is happening. They generally occur due to poor maintenance, and a lack of understanding of how the pipes work in the first place. Some homes have numerous twists and turns that can cause large globs of toilet paper, hair, and food to get stuck, resulting in a clog.
Hair Clog
Many people think if you have long hair, you’re the primary cause of a clogged drain with hair. That’s a myth. Anyone with hair, long or short can contribute to a drain clog of hair. What happens is the hair builds up along the drain and slowely makes it’s way down the drain. As hair clumps together, the surface area becomes larger making it almost impossible for it to just flow down the drain. If you see a clump of hair sitting on the top of your drain, there is likely 5 – 10x more of it in the drain itself. To visually see how shorter hair can clog a pipe, take a look at your his and her sinks, if your man shaves, his drain probably drains a little slower than yours!
Food Waste
We discussed this briefly in our Do’s And Don’s Of Garbage Disposals
The best way to mitigate food waste and food clogs is to invest in garbage disposal. If you don’t have one, just avoid pushing food down the drain for any reason. Most kitchen sink drains have a small catch drain that will allow you to catch food particles. Next time you’re washing dishes, and you pull the catch drain from the plug, look at how much food is in it. Imagine if this was all in your drain? Garbage disposal will almost certainly prevent this from ever being a problem, now, or in the future.
Toilet Paper And Other Items
This is the most common by far. The best solution to this is a Bidet. Bidets allow you to use significantly less toilet paper or none at all in some cases. It uses high pressured water to clean you rather than using a tissue to do it. The unfortunate truth is everyone is created uniquely differently, and some people simply use way more toilet paper than others. These clogs can be considerably more complicated to unclog as well because toilet paper that’s been getting wet for a while can become extremely hard to the touch when a lot of it is pushed up together. Alternatively, it’s never ever a good idea to flush anything other than tissue down the toilet. A common practice is to also flush paper towels in a pinch. This is a very bad idea as paper towels are extremely thicker, and cause considerably more damage when used.
Need Help? Give Us a Call
No matter the severity of the clogged pipe, or the reason, Plumbing Houston can help you knock it out. When you come across a blocked drain or toilet, pick up the phone and enjoy our same day service appointments at no additional cost. Give us a call today at (832) 404-6144