Long Term Fixes For Blocked Drains

Introduction to Drain Blockages

Drain blockages are a widespread issue confronted by households and businesses, including those in Mascot, Sydney. When drains become clogged with grease, hair, debris, and other materials, which can cause a blocked drain, water cannot properly flow through your pipes.

This leads to backed up sinks, showers, and your blocked drain, causing major inconveniences. Our focus is on providing long-lasting solutions to effectively resolve drain blockages.

This guide presents Mascot Plumbing’s insights into the best solutions for preventing and clearing blocked drains. Whether through DIY methods and maintenance tips or professional services from our team leveraging the latest technology, there are many effective options to keep all your drainage systems operating smoothly.

Adopting these strategies can save households significant time, money, and frustration by preventing drain blockage issues in the long term.

Preventative Measures to Avoid Future Clogs

Homeowners and businesses can implement several effective preventative strategies to avoid future drain clogs:

• Place drain screens or hair catchers in sinks and showers to capture hair and debris, preventing them from clogging your drainage system.
• Regularly flushing drains with hot water can prevent grease and soap from building up and causing blockages.
• To dissolve clogs and maintain clear drains, use a mixture of boiling water, baking soda, and vinegar.
• Refrain from dumping fats, oil, and grease into sinks or toilets to prevent sewer blockages and clogged drains.
• Get annual inspections by professional plumbers to detect and address potential issues with stormwater drains promptly.

Proactive steps like these help avoid the occurrence or worsening of blocked drain situations over time. Catching issues early also allows for simpler repairs before they develop into more serious blockages requiring the use of a drain auger, pipe jetting, or replacement.

Installing Drain Protectors

Drain protectors are an easy, cost-effective method to prevent clog-causing buildup in sinks and showers. Drain protectors, sometimes called drain screens, work by catching hair, soap scum, food particles, and other debris before it can go down the drain and cause a blockage.

There are a few types of drain protectors to choose from depending on your specific needs:

• Hair Catchers - These are designed to trap stray hairs in your bathroom sink and shower, preventing them from accumulating into your blocked drains.
• Sink Strainers - Sitting in the sink drain opening, these catch food scraps and other debris, keeping them out of the pipes.
• Tub Shroom - Shaped like mushroom caps, these fit snugly flat inside tub drains, trapping everything attempting to go down the sewer drain.

Ensure that drain protectors fit correctly to allow water to drain freely.

Hair catchers and tub shrooms can be easily pressed into place for a simple, non-permanent solution. Regularly clean drain protectors to remove accumulated debris. Secure sink strainers with screws for stability and to prevent clogs.

Having the right drain protector for your bathroom and kitchen fixtures will save time on drain cleaning and reduce issues with your main sewer line. If in doubt, reach out to Mascot Plumbing’s experts for advice on choosing the right drain protectors to avoid clogs in your home or business.

Performing Routine Drain Maintenance

Carrying out routine drain maintenance is vital to stop minor clogs from becoming more severe. Homeowners can follow these straightforward DIY procedures:

1. Weekly, run extremely hot water down the drains for a couple of minutes to clean out debris accumulation and ensure pipes remain unobstructed.
2. Pour 1/2 cup of baking soda followed by 1/2 cup of vinegar down the drain, wait 10-15 minutes, and then flush with hot water. This helps break down soap scum, hair buildup, and grease.
3. Monthly, employ a plastic zip-it tool to pull out gathered hair and grime around your sink to stop compaction.
4. Inspect pipe joints under sinks for any leaks indicating potential drainage issues in need of repair.

Regular preventive maintenance steps ensure that homeowners can keep their plumbing systems operating well for years before professional attention is needed.

DIY Drain Clearing Methods

Before seeking professional help, homeowners can attempt safe DIY methods to unblock minor drain blockages:

1. Use a Plunger - Place the plunger firmly over the drain opening and plunge up and down rapidly to dislodge clogs.
2. Baking Soda and Vinegar - Pour one cup of baking soda to unblock drain blockage, followed by one cup of vinegar and let sit for 10-15 minutes before rinsing with hot water.
3. Drain Snake - Manually feed a plastic drain snake down the pipe, which can easily hook and extract hair and debris. Take care not to scratch PVC pipes.

Always wear gloves and eye protection when attempting DIY drain clearing, and avoid using harsh chemical drain cleaners. If DIY methods don’t solve the clog, it’s time to call professional drain specialists like Mascot Plumbing to thoroughly inspect and clear your clogged drain.

Professional Drain Cleaning Services

For extensive or recurring drain blockages, professional plumbing services offer the most effective long-term solution. Our skilled plumbers employ specialised equipment to comprehensively clear drains and avert future clogs.

Hydro jet cleaning employs high-pressure jets to clear years of debris from drain pipes, outperforming cable machines in speed, power, and tidiness. Using cctv drain cameras for detailed drain inspections also helps pinpoint underlying issues for targeted interventions like electric eel or hydro jetting and repairs.

Additional professional services like pipe relining can permanently repair cracks and damage in drains to prevent tree roots and debris infiltrating your sewer system. Compared to excavating and replacing sewer pipes, relining is a trenchless solution that’s less disruptive to your property.

The licensed professionals at Mascot Plumbing, serving the Gold Coast, provide safe and sustainable drainage solutions, specialising in both plumbing and gas fitting. Rely on our professional drain cleaning and preventative maintenance services as we value our customers and consistently strive to prevent emergency blockages.

Sustaining Clear Drains

To maintain clear drains, adopt sustainable household habits and use eco-friendly cleaning methods:

• Throw food waste in the bin, not down the sink, to cut down on the accumulation of grease and fat.
• Gather hair from showers and dispose of it in the trash, or pour boiling water down the drain to prevent blockages.
• Pour boiling water from your kettle down the drains weekly to dissolve fatty deposits.
• Use a drain strainer in kitchen sinks to catch debris and empty regularly
• Clean bathroom drain screens and tub shroom protectors, which can also become clogged over time
• Try non-toxic drain cleaner recipes with baking soda, vinegar, or lemon juice before chemical cleaners

Instilling these simple, consistent practices at home will provide you with drain solutions that help sustain drain performance and longevity without using harsh chemicals. Contact Mascot Plumbing if extra assistance is needed keeping drains clear.

Avoiding Harmful Chemical Drain Cleaners

Harsh chemical drain cleaners often do more damage than good in clearing blockages. The corrosive ingredients in these products, like lye or sulfuric acid, can damage your pipes and septic systems over time. Chemical residues flowing into waterways can lead to negative impacts on the environment.

There are home remedies that Homeowners should try non-toxic methods to clear blocked drains before resorting to harsh cleaners:

• Boiling water - Pouring a kettle of boiling water down a drain can liberate your home of grease and soap buildup.
• Baking soda and vinegar - Create a chemical reaction by pouring baking soda followed by vinegar down drains and allowing the mixture to fizz and work for 15 minutes before rinsing.
• Wire coat hanger method - Straighten a wire coat hanger to manually extract hair and debris that might end up down toilet and clogging your drain.

If DIY solutions fail to clear a clogged drain, contacting our blocked drain plumbers is better than guessing with dangerous chemical products. Licenced plumbers like Mascot Plumbing have the know how with specialised equipment to fix blocked drains without the use of harsh chemicals. Contact us for an inspection with drain cameras so we can demonstrate our know-how to accurately locate and fix your blocked pipes safely.

Installing a Garbage Disposal

Installing a garbage disposal can be an effective strategy to preserve your sewer line free from blocked drain clogs and maintain clear pipes in the kitchen. Garbage disposals grind up food scraps into tiny particles that can wash through pipes easily instead of accumulating into blockages.

When used and maintained properly, disposals provide the best way to handle food waste disposal in homes and businesses. They eliminate odours caused by rotting organic matter in drains while also being more environmentally friendly than sending additional food waste to landfills.

Here are some tips on proper garbage disposal installation and usage:

• Choose a disposal size and horsepower rating suitable for your household/business needs. Higher horsepower units can grind harder materials faster but may be louder.
• Ensure adequate electrical power supply and switch under the sink during installation.
• Always run cold water while operating the disposal to assist in moving particles and water down kitchen drain channels.
• Slowly feed in soft foods first then harder items, ensuring nothing inappropriate goes into drain channels.
• Run the disposal for 30-60 seconds after grinding to clear waste through pipes.
• Avoid putting grease, eggshells, bones, rice, pasta, and too much toilet paper down the disposal as these can gum up mechanisms.
• Clean the disposal by grinding ice cubes regularly to help prevent odour buildup.

A high-quality garbage disposal, used with care, enhances drain performance sustainably. Contact Mascot Plumbing for professional assistance installing or maintaining your disposal.