Blocked drains are an inconvenient fact of life. At some point, no matter how hard we try to avoid it, we’ll all be faced with a blocked drain or two. When you’re faced with blocked drains in Melbourne, you can always turn to the friendly team at Your Local Plumbing & Drainage for help. In the meantime, we’ve written this article to let you in on everything you need to know about finding and troubleshooting your blockage before you call your blocked drain plumbers.
Common Causes Of Blocked Drains
Drains become blocked for several reasons, which is why it’s so hard to avoid them forever. When you find blocked drains, there are usually a few common culprits to blame.
- In the bathroom. Hair is the most common perpetrator of drain blockages in the bathroom, as it knots into a hairball, making it difficult for water to pass through the pipes. We’d suggest investing in a hair strainer for the shower and bath to prevent hair from entering the pipes. A major cause of a blocked toilet in Melbourne is people flushing sanitary products. These items need to go in the bin and should never be flushed.
- In the laundry. When we clear a blocked drain in the laundry, we often find lint build-ups are the cause. Make sure you clean your washing machine regularly to prevent blockages.
- In the kitchen. The kitchen is a prime location for organic blockages of food, grease, and oil, and they tend to smell pretty bad. To avoid having to call a blocked drain plumber, try scraping your dishes into the bin and investing in a sink strainer to capture large bits of food and debris.
- In the yard. The most common cause of a blocked drain pipe outside is plants, dirt, and debris washing into the gutters. It’s particularly bad during storm season, so make sure your yard and gutters are free of debris before a heavy rainfall.
What NOT To Do With A Blocked Drain
Before you call for a blocked drain plumber in Melbourne, you might want to try fixing the problem yourself. While it’s fine to try some troubleshooting tricks, there are a few things you should avoid doing at all costs.
- Don’t overuse drain cleaning chemicals. When it comes to unblocking drains, most people immediately turn to products like draino or bleach, pouring them down the pipes and hoping for the best. While it’s okay to try using it once or twice, you shouldn’t use these products too often. Not only are they harmful to the environment, but they’re also damaging your plumbing with every use.
- Don’t stick random objects down the drain. Let us paint a picture for you. You want to clean a blocked drain, and you feel like you might be able to stick something down the drain to dislodge the blockage. So you grab a knife from the kitchen and start poking around. Before you know it, you lose your grip on the blade, and now it’s stuck down the drain too. Now you have to call a plumber for the blocked drain and the knife in the pipes. Need we say more? Don’t stick things down the drain.
- Don’t attempt to unblock the drain with the garden hose. When you call a plumber for a blocked drain, you may see them use a high-pressure water jet to dislodge the blockage. However, your garden hose is not the same thing. The stream is far less powerful, and it’s harder to control. You might cause more damage or even flooding if you try to cut corners.
- Don’t ignore the issue. If you recognise the signs of a blocked drain, the worst thing you can do is ignore it. Call Your Local Plumbing & Drainage so we can develop the right drain blockage solutions for you.
How To Attempt To Clear A Blocked Drain
If you do want to have a go at fixing the problem yourself before calling a blocked drain plumber in Melbourne, there are a few things you can try.
- Plunge it. One of the simplest methods to clearing a blocked drain is to plunge it. However, you need to be sure the blockage is solid, and you’ll need to use some muscles to make sure you get it all.
- Chemical cleaner. While you definitely shouldn’t use chemical cleaners too often, they’re okay to use for clearing organic blockages like grease, hair, and food.
- Pour boiling water down the drain. One of the oldest blocked drain solutions in the book is to pour hot water down the drain. It should cut through small build-ups of grease and oil, allowing water to drain easier.
- Create your own cleaner. Another effective blocked drain solution is a combination of bicarb soda and vinegar. Pour ½ cup of bicarb soda down the drain, followed by 1 cup of vinegar. Cover the drain to keep it from bubbling over, and the oxygen created by the mixture will clean the pipes. If it doesn’t work immediately, repeat the process a few times. Once you’ve cleared the pipe, rinse it with boiling water.
- Call in the professionals. If you have a blocked drain in Geelong or Melbourne that no amount of troubleshooting will fix, it’s time to give Your Local Plumbing & Drainage a call. We’ll use CCTV to find the issue and use high-power hydro-jets to clear the clogged drain without damaging the plumbing.
When You Need Blocked Drain Plumbers, Call Your Local Plumbing & Drainage
With over ten years of experience, 24/7 emergency plumbing services, and the friendliest service around, it’s no wonder Your Local Plumbing & Drainage are the first point of call for so many in the Melbourne area. We’re proud to say that we’re committed to honest and transparent communication, professionalism, and delivering speedy services when and where you need them. If you need blocked drain plumbers, contact Your Local Plumbing & Drainage and get a plumber you can rely on.
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