5 Common Causes of Blocked Drains and How to Prevent Them

Blocked drains are a hassle that could cause disruption to your daily life. They could cause smelly water damage, bad odours, and even health hazards. If they’re not treated promptly, blocked drains can cause grave problems to the plumbing system, which could lead to costly repair or even replacement.

Key Takeaways

• The blockage of drains can affect your routine and cause the destruction of your home, bad smells, and even health risks.
• Oil, grease and fat accumulation can build up on the pipes’ walls causing blockages. Avoid pouring grease down the drain or use hot water and soap for cleaning dishes.
• Tree roots naturally extend themselves into the earth to seek nutrients, which could cause serious damage to pipes and even completely block them which can cause flooding. Ensure you maintain nearby trees around drainage systems by pruning them.
• Flushing non-biodegradable items like wet toiletries, wipes, etc. can cause unpleasant smells emanating around toilets/bin areas; make sure to take care to wash your toilet paper in the toilet.
• Hair

In this article, we’ll look at five common reasons for blocked drains and what you can do to stop them from happening.

Cause 1: Grease, Oil and Fat buildup

Grease, oil and fat might appear to be harmless substances to flush down the drain, but as time passes, they build up on the walls of the pipes, which causes a blockage. When this occurs, water is unable to flow freely through drainpipes. It is best to avoid throwing grease down the drain. Or utilize soap and hot water while cleaning dishes since it can help break down greasy substances.

Cause 2: Tree Roots

As time passes, tree roots naturally extend into the ground seeking nutrients. This results in them growing toward underground pipes. Once they are inside the pipes, trees roots can cause a lot of damage and can completely block them leading to flooding. It’s important therefore if you have trees in the vicinity that you regularly maintain their growth in the drainage system by trimming them regularly.

Cause 3: Unwanted items

It’s easy enough to believe that flushing non-biodegradable items like wet towels, sanitary wipes and so on. won’t cause any significant problems in the long run but when too many of these products are flushed in toilets, they’ll accumulate pushing others aside that block pipes. This can cause a bad smell to be released around bins and toilets! Always remember what should be flushed and which shouldn’t (i. e only toilet papers should be flushed away).

Cause 4 Hair

Additional Information

• The Dangers of Neglecting a Blocked Drain and What You Should Do
• Harnessing the Force of High Pressure Drain Cleaning
• Bid Farewell to Blocked Pipes: Straightforward Hacks to Follow
• 5 Factors That Are Clogging Your Drains and How to Avoid Them
• Expert Plumbers' Manual to Clogged Pipes
• Inspecting Drains Using CCTV to Detect Root Infiltration: Benefits for Property Owners
• How CCTV Drain Inspection Helps in Saving Time and Money on Plumbing Repairs?
• The Benefits of CCTV Drain Inspections: How Often Should You Carry Them Out?
• Identifying the Sources of Drain Obstructions
• The Guide to Finding & Pinpointing a Obstructed Pipe