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There are many things that can block your drain and some blockages are more difficult to remove than others. You need to hire a drain cleaning service provider to remove the blockages safely and correctly without causing any damage to your drainage system. It is always a good idea to have your drains cleaned at least once a year to avoid blockages but sometimes blockages will still occur because foreign objects can make their way into drains. Benjamin Franklin Plumbing in Mansfield, TX provides excellent drain cleaning services and they have some helpful tips on how to keep your drain blockage free after they have been cleaned. There is a list of common things that will block your drain and how you can avoid it in the future.

Oil and fat.

We tend to use oil when we cook and we don’t always make a conscious effort to dispose of the oil correctly after we have finished cooking. It is much easier to just pour it down the drain and forget about it. The oil can stick to the pipes and after a while, a build-up of oil can occur which hinders water flow and can block small objects from passing through. One way to stop this from happening is to pour the oil into a container that you can seal and dispose of correctly. This will ensure that your pipes stay clean for longer after the drain cleaning service. Fat becomes a liquid when it heats but then returns to a solid form when it cools down. The liquid fat can travel various distances depending on the weather which can cause your drainage pipes to be lined with fat. You can scrap the solid fat off the pots and pans before putting them in the sink. This will drastically decrease the amount of fat that ends up in your drainage system. If you start to notice that the water isn’t draining as effectively as possible then you can attempt to use store-bought drain cleaning chemicals to dissolve the fat. Those chemicals are hazardous to your health and pipes. It might also not dissolve all the fat and oil so you will have to use it frequently. It is better to get a drain cleaning service provider because they will use the correct chemicals and methods to ensure that your pipes stay healthy and that there aren’t any health hazards.

Food scraps.

You have just spent an hour or two cooking, you have eaten your dinner and now you want to relax but the dishes are sitting in the sink waiting to be washed. It is not uncommon to forget to scrape all the food before putting the dishes into the sink. All of us are a little guilty of being a bit lazy when it comes to scraping off the food from the dishes before washing them. Even if you do scrape off the plates and bowels there might be rogue foods that can make their way down your drain and eventually it will cause a blockage. A great way to minimize the number of food scraps that end up in your drain is to buy a filter. This filter has big enough holes for the water to travel through but they are small enough to stop food from going to your drain. You can also remove the filter to clean it after you have done the dishes. You can save a lot of money by buying one of these filters because your drains won’t get blocked as frequently so you don’t have to pay for a drain cleaning service every few months.

Children’s toys.

Children are curious by nature and sometimes they wonder what would happen if they flushed down a toy. Children are also sneaky and sometimes we don’t realize that they have thrown their toys down the drain until a blockage has occurred. Many toys end up in drains unintentionally as smaller parts of the toy can break off during bathtime and will flow into the drainage system. Small toys can generally pass through the pipes without problems but can get stuck in soap residue and cause a blockage as more soap builds-up around it. A larger toy can cause a serious blockage if it turns and blocks water from passing through. If these toys get stuck then you cannot use chemicals to remove them because the chemicals won’t dissolve the toy properly. Using a plunger can be a futile struggle especially if the toy is lodged firmly in the pipe. It is better to hire a drain cleaning service to deal with the blockage because it will save you a lot of wasted effort. Prevention is better than cure so here are some ways that you can prevent a toy from making its way into the drainage system. You can buy filters and place them in the drain so it stops the small parts of toys from entering the drain, You can also explain to your children that toys should not be flushed down or put in the drain. You can also make use of regular drain cleaning services to ensure that your pipes are clean so that small toys can move through without getting stuck.

Hair.

Humans lose about 50 to 100 strands of hair everyday. We don’t always notice how much hair we lose when we shower and bath. Usually, the hair gets stuck in the grate and can be removed easily by just pulling out but other times the hair can travel down further into the pipes and can be very difficult to remove. Combining hair with soap can create a slimy and sticky mess that can plug any pipe. Just like with food scraps you can buy a filter or a hair catcher that will catch the hair and stop it from traveling down the drain. Alternatively, you can brush your hair before showering or bathing as the brush will catch all the loose hair. This will also stop your hair from breaking before wet hair is more brittle than dry hair. If you think that a blockage is caused by hair and soap then it is better to hire a drain cleaning service than to try and unblock it yourself. Hair mixed with soap can be very tricky to remove especially if you don’t have the right equipment. Drain cleaning services are able to remove the hair without damaging your pipes since they have specialized equipment to remove the hair effectively.

Toiletries.

You should never flush anything but toilet paper and human waste down the toilet regardless if you have a septic tank or a conventional sewerage system. Toilet paper is designed to dissolve in the water when an appropriate amount of it is being used so that it can pass through the drainage system with ease. Diapers and baby wipes are common causes of blocked drains. They are designed to absorb liquid and enlarge when they do so. This causes them to block drains very quickly. Sanitary products have the same effect. In order to reduce the amount of toiletries that end up in your drain, you should inform the members of your household not to flush toiletries. You can also make sure that there is a wastebasket in the bathroom where toiletries can be disposed of safely. If you frequently have guests over then you can put up a sign next to the toilet reminding them not to flush toiletries down the drain. Sometimes one can be absentminded and accidentally flush toiletries. In that case, you should call a professional drain cleaning service provider to remove it for you before a blockage occurs.

Dirt.

If you have children or if you work a labor-intensive job then you will be no stranger to how much dirt can stick to clothing. Dirt can travel through washing machine pipes and get stuck in the grime that lines your drain. When the dirt builds up, it can use a blockage. You can lessen the amount of dirt that ends up in your Mansfield, TX drainage system by shaking off any excess dust, mud, or sand before putting it in the wash. You can also hose off muddy clothing outside because then there is no risk of the mud getting into your drain. If you have pets then it is best to take them to a groomer since they have the proper equipment to remove dirt and hair. If this is not an option for you it is best to wash the pets outside on a warm day so that you can prevent the dirt and hair from entering your drainage system. Unfortunately, you can’t remove all the dirt before washing it so a drain cleaning service will be needed eventually. You can decrease the frequency of using this cleaning service by taking preventative measures.

Broken or old pipes.

You might think that your drain is blocked because of the above-mentioned reason but in reality, it is blocked because you have a broken pipe. A drain cleaning service will be able to detect the source of the blockage and will be able to advise you on what to do in order to fix the broken pipe. Benjamin Franklin Plumbing of Fort Worth, Mansfield, TX provides both drain cleaning services as well as any plumbing services that you might need so it is a one-stop for all your plumbing needs. You might be wondering how you can prevent a blockage that is caused by old or broken pipes. You can have your plumbing inspected once every two years to make sure that the system is functioning correctly. In some cases, you might have to get your plumbing inspected more frequently, for example, if you live in an old house or if there are mature trees on the property. It is also a good idea to have your new house’s plumbing inspected to make sure that there aren’t preexisting broken or old pipes.

Incorrect pipe installation.

We can’t be sure if the drainage system was installed correctly and sometimes no matter how clean our drains are we still get blockages because they are caused by pipes that have been installed incorrectly. These incorrect pipe installations are difficult for the average homeowner to detect therefore it is important to find a plumbing company that provides drain cleaning services as well as other plumbing services. This will save you a lot of time and effort in finding another plumber that can assist you in resolving the problem that a simple drain cleaning service couldn’t resolve. One way to prevent blockages from incorrect pipe installation is to make sure that you hire a reputable plumber that is licensed and has many years of experience. This will decrease the risk of future problems due to the incorrect pipe installation. If you suspect that your plumbing system might not be up to standard then you should have a plumber inspect the system. They will be able to detect any faults and will be able to repair it for you correctly.

You can use these measures to avoid having to call a drain cleaning service frequently but having your drains cleaned at least once a year is important to maintain the integrity of your drainage system. Benjamin Franklin Plumbing of Fort Worth in Mansfield, TX provides drain cleaning services as well as plumbing inspections. They also provide a variety of services that you might need if extra problems are discovered during the drain cleaning service or the inspection. They have a team of professional plumbers that will ensure that your plumbing system is functioning as well as it can. Call them today to set up your appointment.