Avondale Plumbing Clogs and Drain Clearing / Cleaning
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Clogs can be caused by a number of different substances which can clot or lodge in your pipes below the drain, causing water to back up and overflow into the sink or tub. Sometimes, this happens after a long period of time has gone by without drains being cleaned out. At other times it is the result of trying to flush or dump something down the drain which is just not able to go through the pipe. This is generally called “user error” in the plumbing world and is the most common reason we are called in to unclog a drain. Most people blame it on their children.
Below your sink drain, there is a bend in the pipe called a trap. This is actually installed that way intentionally to aid the plumber when a clog occurs. Most of the time, that clog happens above the trap and below the drain. A mass that won't go all the way down will lodge there. By removing the trap a plumber can get to that mass and push it either up or down to clear the pipe. There are also times when the mass that causes the clog may lodge in the trap itself. This makes it even easier for the plumber to clear the drain.
There are certain things you should just not pour down your drain. Any types of viscous or toxic fluids should be disposed of using sealed containers that are either picked up by waste removal companies or brought to a recycling center. If you use vegetable or olive oil when you cook, do not pour it down your kitchen sink drain. Grease also should not be disposed of this way. These fluids may not clog your drain by themselves, but they could cause other substances like food and hair to clump together and create a mass which will block water flow.
Harmful Drain Clearing Products?
Unfortunately when our drains get clogged people seem to have a immediate response of going to the most powerful chemical arsenal that will most definitely harm their plumbing and possibly even themselves. Yes these powerful chemicals we are referring to include just about all commercial drain cleaners. More specifically, drain cleaning ingredients Lye or acid can cause harm to health, the wastewater stream, and your PVC pipes.
To help avoid strong commercial products we would suggest you try bacteria-based enzyme cleaners that you can find in health food stores that eat clogs free from pipes without harming everything else in which it comes into contact with.
