Maintaining and Troubleshooting Your Drains

A clogged drain can cause toilets, sinks, and tubs to back up or overflow, leading to water damage and inconveniencing your family. Thankfully, with the right knowledge, maintaining and troubleshooting your home’s drains isn’t difficult. Keep in mind that if you run into any drain issues that you can’t handle, calling a professional plumber is the best way to solve your plumbing woes.

Drain Maintenance

Sinks, showers, toilets, tubs, dishwashers, and washing machines all use drains to remove wastewater and prevent overflows. Maintaining these drains will prevent clogs, backups, and other plumbing problems. One easy way to maintain your drains is to use them properly. Never put solid food or other objects down a drain—including flushing trash down your toilet. If your kitchen sink has a garbage disposal, avoid putting hard or sticky foods into this appliance, as these can damage or clog it. Flush only toilet paper down your toilet; all other items, including tissues and paper towels, should go into the trashcan. Avoid pouring paint or other chemicals down your drains, as these may damage plumbing pipes and cause problems if they reach natural sources of water without proper treatment. You can also maintain your drains weekly using a simple combination of safe household ingredients: baking soda, table salt, and cream of tartar. Mix one cup of baking soda with one cup of table salt and a quarter cup of cream of tartar, then pour approximately one quarter of the mixture down each drain. Follow the mixture with a pot of boiling water, then flush the drain with cold water after 10 seconds.

Drain Troubleshooting

If a drain develops a clog, there are steps you can take to remove it. Avoid the use of store-bought chemical drain cleaners, as these can cause more harm to your plumbing than good. Instead, pour 1/2 cup baking soda down your drain, then follow with 1/2 cup white vinegar. Allow the solution to sit inside the drain for about three hours, then flush the drain with a pot of boiling water. Cover the drain loosely while the solution works for the best results. Clogged sinks, tubs, and toilets can also be plunged; a plunger creates mechanical suction to break up a clog so it can be flushed through your system. When plunging a drain, make sure the lip of the plunger is secure around the drain to create proper suction. If there is not enough water in the toilet, sink, or tub to cover the head of the plunger, you’ll need to pour in extra water to get the right results. If plunging is unsuccessful, you may be able to use a hand auger to snake the drain. However, snaking a drain does require some skill and experience. If you don’t feel comfortable with the idea of using an auger, it’s best to call your plumber for professional assistance.

If you experience a clogged drain, it’s important to address the situation sooner rather than later. Ignoring a clog will only cause it to worse, requiring that more extreme measures be taken to eliminate it. If you need help with a stubborn drain or other plumbing issue, visit our website to contact a Houston plumber for help. You can find more plumbing tips and troubleshooting tricks on our blog.