5 Common Causes of Blocked Drains and How to Prevent Them

Blocked drains can be a nuisance which can cause a disruption in your daily life. They can result in flooding, bad smells, or even health risks. If they are not addressed promptly blocked drains can lead to serious problems in the plumbing system, which can lead to costly maintenance or repairs.
Key Takeaways
- Blockages to drains can cause disruption to your day-to-day routine and result in the destruction of your home, bad smells and even health dangers.
- Grease, oil and fat build-up can clog the pipes’ walls causing blockages. Avoid pouring grease down the drain, or make use of hot water and soap to wash dishes.
- The roots of trees naturally expand into the earth to seek nutrients. This can cause massive damage, and also block the pipes completely that can lead to flooding. Regularly maintain trees near drainage systems by pruning them.
- Wet wipes, towels, and so on. can create unpleasant smells emanating around toilets/bin areas; be sure to use toilet paper to flush down toilet.
- Hair
In this post, we’ll explore five causes of blocked drains and what you can do to prevent them from happening.
Cause 1. Grease, oil and fat buildup
Fat, grease and oil may appear like harmless materials to flush down the drain, but they can build up over the insides of pipes, causing the pipes to become blocked. When this occurs the water can’t move freely through the drainpipes. The solution is to avoid pouring grease in the drain, or utilize soap and hot water to wash your hands when cleaning dishes, as this helps break down greasy substances.
Cause 2: Tree Roots
As time passes, tree roots naturally expand into the soil in search of nutrients, which results in them growing towards underground pipes. Once they are inside the pipes, tree roots can cause massive damage and even block them leading to flooding. It’s crucial, therefore, if you have trees in the vicinity to regularly monitor their growth around drainage systems, by trimming them in a regular manner.
Cause 3: Flushed items
It’s easy enough to believe that flushing items that aren’t biodegradable like the wet wipes, sanitary towel and so on. will not cause any major problems in the long run however, if too many of these products are flushed into toilets, they can build up, pushing other items aside and blocking pipes – this can result in nasty smells emanating around toilets/bin areas too! Make sure to remember what should be flushed away and what should not (i. the only toilet paper should be flushed out).
Cause 4: Hair
Additional Information
- The Dangers of Neglecting a Blocked Drain and What You Should Do
- Don't Let Your Blocked Drains Cause You Trouble
- How to Fix a Shower Drain: The Step-by-Step Fix Necessary
- Why CCTV Drain Inspection is a Cost-Effective Solution for Your Plumbing Needs
- Seeking a plumber to repair your blocked drain issue? This is how
- Why You Should Choose CCTV Drain Inspection to Identify Root Infiltration in Your Plumbing System
- How to Tell You Need Drain Clearing Services for Your Business
- The Ultimate Guide to Drain Clearing Services
- Preventing Clogs and Blockages: Best Practices for Maintaining Your Drains
- Problems with Blocked Drains: Plumber Solutions and Tips