Since whatever goes down your drain ends up in your sewer line, home sewer clog prevention begins at the sinks and tubs inside your house. Residential sewer systems are sized to handle the expected volume of waste water for the size of the home, plus a little safety margin built in. Over the years, however, the efficiency of flow through the pipes diminishes due to age and sludge accumulation.
It doesn’t take much to block a narrowed pipe and trigger a sewage backup. Keep things flowing freely by following a few home sewer clog prevention steps:
- Don’t use your sink as a food receptacle. Unless you have a disposal installed, thoroughly scrape plates and dishes into the trash and use the sink solely for washing and rinsing dishes.
- Keep grease out of the drain. Fats — both vegetable and animal — appear liquid as they disappear down your drain, but once they’re out of sight, they solidify and contribute to the sludge that gradually narrows pipes. Pour grease into a receptacle and dispose it in the household trash.
- Coffee grounds are good for several things in your garden, but good for nothing in your drains. The dense mass of water-soaked grounds tends to collect at the lowest point in the drain system and gradually obstructs flow.
- Screen out the hair. The most frequent object removed from the end of a plumber’s drain snake is a matted wad of hair coated with gooey soap scum. Installing fine-mesh, stainless steel drain screens in bathroom drains and cleaning them regularly helps keep this sewer-clogging combo out of your pipes.
- Schedule an annual inspection. What’s going inside your pipes shouldn’t be a secret. Have a professional plumber perform a checkup of the system and look for any incipient issues before they become major malfunctions. A plumber can also check your main sewer line with a video camera to determine the status quo when it comes to potential blockages, tree root intrusion and collapsed pipes.
For more on home sewer clog prevention or to schedule professional plumbing service, contact Roth Heating & Cooling.
