Suffering from blocked drains
Suffering from blocked drains
Amongst the worst kinds of household emergencies are the ones related to blocked drains. Similar to other household emergencies, they just occur unexpectedly. Nevertheless, the awful feature of blocked drains is that they can give out foul smells and lead to overflow of waste water into your home. If you are a business that is impacted the disruption can result in loss of customer and staff goodwill with the associated lost productivity and sales revenue.
Below are mentioned a few simple preventive measures that you can take to decrease the chances of a blocked drain caused due to a foreign object or a structural defect.
Keep a habit of removing any trapped hairs from the drain plug immediately.
Store toiletries like combs, rolls and bottles in secure shelves as they can accidentally fall into a toilet if carelessly placed.
Regularly flush the wash basin and bath or shower pipework with hot water and a disinfectant to clear soap residue and prevent build up over time.
Dont flush away large and disposable items such as sanitary towels, nappies or product wrapping as they can become caught in the drainage pipe.
Do not throw the kitchen waste into the sink as composting is a better option for them.
In case some item falls accidentally into the sink poking at it instead of pulling will make its removal more difficult and in the process further complicate the drainage problem.
Cooking fats congeal and solidify when they mix with cold water, so never pour them down the kitchen sink. In case you have no other choice make sure to dilute fats using emulsifiers ,hot water and detergents, before disposing down the drain. Keep the water running for a minute after you have done this to keep a clear water flow.
Some regular maintenance from you side can reduce the occurrence of blocked drains.
Rain downpipes and roof gutters must be inspected bi-annually.
Be careful while you are working at a height and use a trowel to remove the waste products from the pipes.
Make sure you can access the inspection covers of your drains easily and open them regularly to ensure free flow.
Make sure that garden matter, such as leaves or moss, are kept out of the outside drainage grids.
External drains can also be washed by using disinfectant and hot water in a manner similar to the internal drains.
For complete peace of mind, particularly if you are running a business you can request a regular drain surveys and get your drainage system checked regularly by a CCTV drain inspection service. This will give early warning of any potential blockages and also enables you to keep an eye on the structural condition of the drainage pipework.
