Taking steps to prevent sewer clogs doesn’t mean you’ll never have a problem that requires intervention by a professional plumber. But at least you’ll eliminate those issues you can control. That alone can pay off in the long run as sewer malfunctions, once they happen, can require extensive repair procedures. Remember that it is your responsibility to repair anything that goes wrong in your sewer pipe all the way out to the point where it connects to the city sewer at the street.
A good way to begin to prevent sewer clogs is by becoming aware that everything swirling down a household drain or flushed down a toilet ultimately ends up in your main sewer line. Controlling any problem at its source is often the most effective prevention. With that in mind, try these steps to prevent sewer clogs:
- Collect grease and throw it away. Don’t pour it down the drain.
- Keep coffee grounds out of the sink. In your sewer system they collect like tiny gravel and eventually interfere with flow of waste water.
- Install hair screens on bathtub and sink drains.
- Flush only toilet tissue down a toilet. Any other paper remains intact even inside the sewer line and promotes clogging.
- Flush the drain by running hot water for a moment after each use.
- Pour a cup of vinegar down each drain in the house as preventative maintenance, and follow it up 30 minutes later by running hot water down the drain for a moment or two.
- Don’t use caustic drain cleaners. These can damage drain pipes. If you have a clog that doesn’t respond to use of a common drain plunger or pouring very hot water down the drain, call a plumber.
- Have your underground sewer line inspected by a plumbing professional using micro video technology to detect internal signs of tree root intrusion or collapsing segments.
Contact the plumbing professionals at Mowery Heating, Cooling and Plumbing for more tips to prevent sewer clogs or dependable service when problems occurs.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Brownsburg, Indiana and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).
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