There may be a lot of drains in your home — sinks, toilets, showers, etc. — but they all run to one place: the main sewer line that runs out of your house.
You’ll know it if it needs cleaning; slow flushing drains, smells and even strange noises are symptoms that your sewer line or one of the lateral lines leading to the main has some sort of blockage. You can always call on our friendly Santa Maria plumbers to fix a big problem, but there are also a number of DIY drain cleaning tips you can employ to get your household pipes running smoothly again.
Keep it Clean
You may think of enzyme cleaners as something you use for pet stains on your carpet, but they are great for regular upkeep of your drain lines. Any plumbing supply outlet and most hardware stores will have high-grade cleaners for this purpose, and they’re much safer than chemical drain cleaners.
They work via a biological reaction, so time – and some patience – is required.
Snake it
This is one snake that won’t bite… Get it? Ok, ok, cheesy jokes aside, a plumbing snake should be something everyone has on hand for minor clogs. Snakes are augers that are fed into a drain line and then cut through all the junk forming a clog.
But be careful not to damage your lines when you’re using one of these. If your clog isn’t coming loose with a snake, that’s a good indication that it is time to call a plumber.
Baking Soda and Vinegar
This household remedy is the anti-chemical de-clogger. Safe and easy on your pipes, mixing baking soda and vinegar forms a common cleaning solution that can be used for many things – unclogging a pipe being one of them. The bubbles it forms will scrape away grease that could be causing a clog.
Flushing your drains with this mixture is also a great regular maintenance habit to get into as cleaning light build-ups of grease is easier than a big clog.
Drain Cleaners – If You Must
Abrasive chemical de-cloggers can be useful, but they can damage your pipes so you shouldn’t employ this strategy very often. However, a couple of times a year, you can flush drain cleaners down your lines. Just make sure you’re not using too much water or flushing any other drains.
The chemical needs time to sit in the pipes to dissolve any debris and waste that might be building up.
Turn to the Pros
Of course, not all drain clogs are created equally, and sometimes it’s necessary to call in the professional Santa Maria plumbers at Griffin. It’s also a good idea to have the plumbing pros inspect your drain lines to diagnose bigger problems before they turn into a disgusting mess, saving you time and money.
As always, we’re a call or click away.
