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Don't be the cause of your blocked drains

Blocked drains are generally caused in 2 different ways. Firstly there are those that are caused by things largely outside of your control, such as tree root intrusion, and secondly those caused as a direct result of something you do. This blog post will discuss those that are caused by you, and therefore, can easily be avoided.

Blocked drains that are preventable

Toilets are for number 1's and 2's!

Blocked drains and toilets
Blocked toilet

That's right! Your toilet is designed for number 1's and 2's with a little additional toilet paper. It is not designed for anything else, including sanitary napkins, nappy wipes, pet fish, unwanted reptiles or anything else you can think of putting down a toilet.

The issue is that a toilet uses a flush of water to move all objects from the toilet bowl down into the main street sewer. The larger the object you are trying to flush, the harder it is to move it with just water. The end result is that it ends up sitting in your sewer drain causing a blockage that then needs to be removed.

One of the biggest causes of irresponsible flushing is kids. For some reason, a toilet is an irresistible depository for kids. So make sure you keep an eye on them.

Book a drain plumber

Fats and oils go into the bin!

Blocked Drains from Fats and Oils
Drain blocked from fats and oils

The other common cause of blocked drains is the "just pour the oil from the frying pan down the sink" trick. If you pour fat and oil from your frying pan into a jar and leave it to sit overnight, you will see it solidifies into a lump of fat. This is exactly what happens when you pour it down the drain. It ends up sitting in the drain until it solidifies and creates a blockage.

So rather than pouring it down the sink, pour it into a disposable container (used can or jar etc) and when it has solidified throw it into the normal rubbish.

Don't be the cause of your clogged drain

By keeping an eye on these 2 areas you will minimise the need for us to come out to fix your blocked drain. Of course, you still may need us for a cracked pipe or tree root intrusion, but that's another story.

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