How households prevent blocked drains

Properly Dispose of Food Waste in the Kitchen

Proper food waste disposal is critical to avoiding blocked drains. Kitchen waste such as rice, pasta, coffee grounds, and oil grease can lead to clogs if washed down the sink.

Discard these materials in your bin or compost to keep your drains clear. When food waste goes down the drain, it can gradually lead to severe clogs in the pipes.

Keep a small bin close to the sink to consolidate kitchen waste easily.

For further drain maintenance assistance, contact the team at Miranda Plumbing on 1300 349 338 or jobs@mirandaplumbingservices.com.au. Our qualified plumbers offer premium drain cleaning services and inspections to prevent drain blockages.

Install Drain Strainers and Filters

Drain strainers and filters effectively prevent the accumulation of debris in your drains. Fine mesh strainers for your sink and shower catch detritus, such as hair and food scraps, precluding pipe blockages. These simple guards help prevent sediment from entering your sink shower bathtub, and other drainage areas to keep blockages at bay.

For areas like the shower drain, where waste from the most common items like hair and soap buildup occurs, a stainless steel strainer can be ideal. Sitting within the drain, they have small holes to filter out solids and prevent clog-causing debris from entering. Hair catchers fitted in bathroom drains employ plastic bristles or mesh to ensnare strands before they enter the plumbing.

To prevent clogging, your home’s small strainer baskets should be cleaned weekly. Hair catchers may demand more time for cleaning, requiring attention more frequently, after just a couple of uses.

Frequent cleaning of drain filters significantly lowers blockage risks, potentially obviating the need for extensive professional cleaning. Contact the team at Miranda Plumbing on 1300 349 338 for advice selecting suitable drain strainers.

Perform Regular Drain Maintenance

Regular drain maintenance is crucial for preventing material build-up in your home’s drains. Simple DIY methods like using a blend of soda vinegar or occasionally pour boiling water down your drains can dislodge buildups before they become clogs. Hot water helps maintain steady water flow and clears away deposits, preventing blockages when poured down drains.

For a green cleaning method, mix baking soda with half a cup of vinegar to create a fizzing action that helps clear pipes.

Some of the most cautious Homeowners will find there are things can do, such as getting professional drain cleaning assessments every 2-3 years. This identifies issues more so than what one might think early on and helps avoid emergency blockages into your drains.

Plumbers provide tips to prevent future blockages and use high-pressure jetting and inspection cameras for deep cleaning. Contact Miranda Plumbing on 1300 349 338 to book comprehensive drain servicing.

Use Environmentally Friendly Cleaning Products

Utilising eco-friendly cleaning products helps maintain clear drains and protects the environment. Enzyme-based cleaners dissolve organic materials, such as soap scum in sinks and toilets, without the harsh chemicals that harm pipes or the environment.

Standard chemical drain cleaners may appear convenient, but they can damage your pipes over time and disrupt wastewater treatment systems once flushed. Moreover, strong acids and alkaline compounds in chemical cleaners pose safety hazards if mishandled.

Enzyme cleaners offer an efficient and eco-friendly alternative, dissolving blockage-causing materials without the use of harsh chemicals. Sourced from plants or microbes, enzyme cleaners use biological action to dissolve fatty oils, grease build-up, hair, and food remnants. Not only are enzyme cleaners better than chemical options for pipes, but their biodegradable nature makes them waterway-friendly, and you can use them without concern.

Homeowners should think about what’s going down their drains and consider using enzyme cleaners monthly to avoid blocked drains before they harden and cause issues. Contact the team at Miranda Plumbing on 1300 349 338 for eco-friendly product recommendations to keep drains clear.

Avoid powder-based drain cleaners including fats oils as these may burn skin. When using any cleaning products down your kitchen sink, be sure to follow instructions carefully.

Avoid Pouring Fats, Oils and Grease Down Drains

Avoid pouring oils and grease down the kitchen sink to prevent blocked drains. When these cooking byproducts, such as too much oil and grease fat, go down the drain, they can build up and solidify in cool drain bends causing blocked drains. Grease and oil washed down the drain can accumulate and create a film, trapping food scraps and leading to blockages.

The best way to manage leftover cooking fats, oils and grease is to pour them into a heatproof container. Allow the substances to solidify before disposing of the cooking grease in a solidified form in the bin. Absorb small spills of cooking oil with paper towels, taking care to keep them out your drains, rather than rinsing them into sinks.

Adopting these straightforward kitchen practices can save you from expensive plumbing repairs caused by blocked drains. Homeowners will also keep your plumbing safe and avoid damage to the environment caused by grease entering waterways via sewer systems.

Contact the team at Miranda Plumbing on 1300 349 338 or jobs@mirandaplumbingservices.com.au for professional tips on keeping drains clear.

Flush Only Toilet Paper

Flushing just the right amount of toilet paper is vital for maintaining your home’s drainage systems. Many householders believe that products labelled as “flushable” - like baby wipes, sanitary items, paper towels, and more - put down the toilet will dissolve after flushing. This is a dangerous misconception.

These 'flushable’ products might clear the toilet bowl but don’t disintegrate like toilet paper, thus blocking the plumbing. Flushable wipes contain strong fibres that snag on joints or sharp bends in your drainage system. Over time, masses of wipes and other products collect, Severely causing your blocked drain.

Placing bins in bathrooms for sanitary products mitigates the risk of emergency callouts due to blocked toilets. Ensuring only human waste and paper are flushed down the toilet is the number one rule for preventing blockages inside your plumbing. Contact the team at Miranda Plumbing on 1300 349 338 if your drains need assistance.

Toilet paper is crafted to decompose safely post-flush, unlike other items that might block drains.

Inspect and Replace Old or Damaged Pipes

Inspecting and updating old or damaged plumbing is a crucial step in preventing drain blockages. Old cast iron or clay pipes are prone to cracking, offsets, and tree roots invasion, which are primary causes blocked drains often suffer from.

Arranging professional inspections to identify plumbing issues, particularly in homes with older systems, is crucial. Use a reputable plumber like Miranda Plumbing to conduct thorough assessments, including CCTV drain scans to analyse pipe interiors.

Identified faults in piping usually necessitate relining or replacement to prevent future blockages. Delaying this work allows deterioration and raises the risk of emergency blockages. Replacing short sections where cracks are present avoids the need for extensive excavation of drains.

Contact Miranda’s drain specialists on 1300 349 338 or jobs@mirandaplumbingservices.com.au for tailored advice regarding residential plumbing checks and system upgrades.

When to Call a Professional Plumber

There are several signs that indicate it’s time to call in a professional plumber to address blocked drains:

• Water is backing up from down your sink, shower or bathtub
• Toilets are overflowing or very slow to flush
• unusual gurgling noises come from the main sewer
• Sewage odours arise, especially after water use
• Large sections of your garden feel spongy or soggy

While DIY methods might work temporarily, severe clogs generally require professional cleaning and inspection. Trying to repeatedly fix minor clogs yourself can evolve into problematic clogged drains over time.

The skilled technicians at Miranda Plumbing have the advanced tools and knowledge needed for effective, thorough drain unblocking. We also identify what caused the blockage, so it’s less likely to occur again.

As your local drain specialists trusted by the central coast Miranda community, we can effectively prevent and address blocked drains. Contact us on 1300 349 338 or jobs@mirandaplumbingservices.com.au for professional drain assessments, leak detection, repairs and cleaning services.