Clogged Drains? Here Are the Top 3 Causes and How to Prevent Them

Nothing is quite as frustrating as trying to get ready for your day when you have a slow-draining sink or a shower filling with standing water. Clogged drains usually start out as annoyances but can quickly turn into major headaches when ignored for too long. It can be more frustrating not knowing what causes them or how to prevent them. Fortunately, here at Black-Haak, we have those answers and help homeowners every day solve their drainage woes.

As you read further, you’ll learn the three most common culprits behind clogged drains and the best tips for keeping your pipes flowing freely.

Cause #1: Hair

One of the most common and persistent culprits behind household drains, especially in bathrooms, is hair. For the most part, hair, whether it’s beard hair from trimming and shaving or long strands of hair from showering, easily slides down your bathroom drains. Problems arise once the hair enters the pipes. In pipes, hair often gets stuck on sticky substances inside the pipe, like shampoo residue and soap scum. Once the hair becomes intertwined with these substances, it acts like a net, catching anything that comes through the pipe. Eventually, a blockage forms and restricts water flow.

How to Prevent Hair Clogs

Since you likely don’t want to stop trimming your beard, shaving your legs, or washing your hair, the question is: How do you prevent hair from clogging drains? Some of the preventive techniques we prefer include:

• Place drain screens over shower drains
• Pour boiling water down the drain after showering or bathing
• Use a manual hair removal tool in drain openings

Another technique we suggest to minimize the amount of hair that stays inside pipes is to naturally break down minor accumulations of buildup using a baking soda and vinegar routine. This is a maintenance treatment and not a fix, but it’s highly effective at keeping drains and pipes relatively buildup-free. Sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda into the drain and then pour in a cup of vinegar. The concoction should fizz, and it’s that fizziness that begins the process of breaking up debris in the drain. After the fizziness ends, run hot water through the drain.

The vinegar/baking soda concoction is a safe way to maintain and clean your drains. It’s much better than chemical drain cleaners, which we don’t recommend using regularly (or at all, if possible). The ingredients in the drain cleaners contain corrosive chemicals that break apart tough clogs, but they can also damage your pipes. For tough clogs that don’t respond to plunging or natural drain cleaning methods, hiring our plumbers for professional drain cleaning solutions is a better option.

Cause #2: Fats, Oils & Grease

Fats, oils, and grease (FOG) might seem harmless, but pouring them down your kitchen sink is a recipe for a clogged sink. Although FOG starts off as a liquid, it quickly cools and solidifies, adhering to the interior surfaces of the pipes. It doesn’t take long for sticky layers to build up, narrowing the pipe’s diameter and trapping other debris as it moves through the pipe. Some of the most common sources of FOG include cooking oils, butter, and meat drippings. A good indication that you have a FOG clog is a sluggish kitchen sink and persistent nasty odors coming from the drain.

One of the problems with FOG clogs is that they’re not as easy to clear as hair clogs. Plunging and using do-it-yourself methods like the baking soda/vinegar concoction don’t work very well to remove these types of clogs. Most FOG clogs require professional drain snaking or hydro jetting because they’re deep in the pipe and stuck like glue to the pipe walls.

How to Prevent FOG Clogs

The best way to prevent FOG is to never pour those substances down the drain. Better FOG disposal methods include pouring cooled FOG into milk cartons or coffee cans and throwing it in the trash. We also suggest wiping greasy pans with a paper towel before washing them. Even if you’ve poured excess FOG into a disposal container, the remnants left behind can get in your kitchen pipes when you drain the dirty water.

Another contributor to the buildup of FOG in kitchen sinks is the garbage disposal. Plumbers don’t care much for garbage disposals because most people overuse them or don’t use them correctly. The correct way to grind food in a garbage disposal is to run cold water while the process is in progress. The reason we suggest using cold water is that it initiates the grease solidification process before the liquid has a chance to travel too far into the pipes. When the solidification process begins in the disposal, the substance is ground into small, manageable pieces that can move through the pipe, rather than coating it.

To maintain kitchen drains and keep them FOG-free, regularly run hot water through the drain. Do this after doing the dishes after every meal. This simple maintenance trick keeps FOG buildup moving.

Cause # 3: Food Scraps and Non-Food Items

Let’s talk about garbage disposals again because they play a significant role in clogged drains. These small kitchen appliances are designed to handle some food waste, not all. For example, you should never put fibrous vegetables like corn husks, potato peels, and celery in the garbage disposal because they can tangle and create a large, dense mass in the drain. Foods like rice and pasta shouldn’t be put in disposals either because they expand as they get wet and can cause blockages. Coffee grounds and eggshells also turn into thick, sludgy messes. The less you use your garbage disposal, regardless of how convenient you think it is, the better it is for your drains.

You also need to think about what you store near your kitchen and bathroom sinks. It’s not uncommon for non-food items to fall into kitchen sinks, such as bread bag ties and paper towels. In the bathroom, it’s easy for Q-tips, cotton balls, and other bathroom trash to fall into toilets.

Speaking of toilets, do your best to avoid flushing anything other than toilet paper, including so-called “flushable” wipes. Those products don’t break down in water like toilet paper does. If they get stuck in the toilet drain, they will likely catch other debris after it’s flushed and eventually cause a backup.

How to Prevent Food and Non-Food Items from Clogging Drains

Here’s some good news: you can prevent most clogged drain situations from food and non-food items. All it takes is a little effort, being mindful of what you’re doing.

• Dispose of food waste in the trash can or in a compost bin
• Keep toilet lids closed
• Keep the area around the kitchen and bathroom sinks clear

Educate everyone in the household about what can and can’t go in the garbage disposal. Additionally, discuss what can be flushed and what should be thrown away.

When to Call a Professional Plumber

Sometimes, when a clog gets too big and DIY methods fail, you need to bring in the professionals. Stay alert for these signs that you need professional drain services:

• Recurring clogs
• Multiple slow drains
• Foul odors from drains
• Water backing up into other fixtures

Calling for professional drain services can prevent further damage and ensure more lasting solutions.

You deserve to live in a clog-free home. Say goodbye to clogged drains and let your local drainage experts come to the rescue. Our team is ready to help you with drain and pipe repair, rooter service, drain repair and cleaning, and more. Call Black-Haak today for drain cleaning in Fox Valley, WI, and surrounding areas.