How to Keep Your Home’s Drains Clear and Clean

Omaha homeowners place emergency calls to plumbers for various reasons: burst pipes, sewer backups, overflowing toilets, dripping faucets—but one of the most common complaints is a clogged drain. Because all waste-water in your home eventually feeds to the same sewer line, a backup in a bathroom sink can be caused by a blockage in the tub drain or even the kitchen drain. While you cannot avoid all plumbing problems, especially if you have a mature home with older pipes, following the steps below can help keep you from needing drain cleaning in your Omaha home.

Use Your Garbage Disposal Sparingly

The name “garbage disposal” is somewhat misleading.
Those motorized whirling blades installed beneath your kitchen sink can only grind certain types of waste. Most homeowners know that the disposal is designed for food waste, but some indiscriminately wash all kitchen scraps into the disposal, thinking that given enough time this appliance can shred almost anything. But many types of food waste can clog your garbage disposal, including eggshells, meat scraps, potato peels, and fibrous vegetables. Even if your blades manage to mince the scraps up fine enough, these particles can coat the inside of pipes further down the line, and after a few years of improper disposal use, you may notice that your sink drains very slowly.

Throw Your Grease in the Trash

Used cooking oil and rendered animal fat are common byproducts of the cooking process, and at high temperatures they are very liquid. Since liquids can easily be poured down the drain, home cooks who are pressed for time occasionally pour leftover kitchen grease down their garbage disposals, kitchen drains, or even in their toilets. At lower temperatures, however, grease solidifies and coats the inside of your plumbing, which will eventually cause a backup that can only be removed by professional drain cleaning in your Omaha area home or business. To properly dispose of grease, pour it into a sealable heatproof container, such as an old coffee can, and throw the container in the trash when it becomes full. You can also explore local options for cooking oil recycling.

Be Careful What You Flush Down the Toilet

Because toilets dispose of both liquid and solid waste, homeowners sometimes assume that they can flush almost anything. However, your toilet feeds waste-water into the same sewer line that all your other household drains use, so anything you flush can get caught in your pipes and affect overall drain performance in your home. The only item besides waste that is safe to flush is toilet paper, which is specifically designed to break down in both sewer and septic systems so that your plumbing doesn't get clogged. Paper napkins, facial tissue, paper towels, cotton balls, and other products belong in the trash.

The dozens or even hundreds of feet of pipes that run under the floors and through the walls of your home are not indestructible—your plumbing has a limited lifespan, especially if your home is more than a few decades old. For more home tips, including HVAC information and plumbing resources, visit our information page or our main website.