Keep your pipes healthy to avoid blocked drains

The plumbing system in your home has been developed over thousands of years into the seemingly simple but very effective system it is today. Modern plumbing can handle a lot, but there are limits. Blocked drains , backed-up toilets and leaking pipes occur when these limits are exceeded. Keep your pipes and plumbing healthy by following the golden rules of drainage.

Golden rules for the toilet

With the exception of toilet paper, If it didn't come out of you, don't put it in the loo . No recently deceased goldfish, no nappy liners or wipes, no sanitary products, no rubbish, no plants, no nasty chemicals. Just don't do it. Even if the item you flush disappears from view it may have only travelled a short distance along the drain before it lodges in the pipe (possibly because of some other nasty that you flushed previously has already partially blocked the drain).

Golden rules for the kitchen sink

Put a sink strainer in the plug hole of your sink. This little grill will stop any chunky bits from going down the drain and causing a blockage. Don't throw fat or oils down the drain. Let it solidify in the pan and scrape it out into the bin with a piece of paper towel or drain it into an old jar or can and throw it when the fat goes hard. This is a lovely picture of what a fat build-up looks like in your drain.

Golden rules for the bath, shower and vanity

A sink strainer in your bath, vanity and shower will stop hair, bits of soap, cotton balls etc causing a blocked drain in your bathroom. Individually these items may make it down the drain without blocking it up but the soap/hair/cotton cocktail will clog your drain nicely.

Golden rules for outside drains

Keep outside drain grates and grills clear. Covering drain grills with garden beds, bins, plant pots etc will stop the rainwater from getting away and can cause flooding in your garden. Keep leaves, dirt and garden litter from building up around drains. Rain can wash all of this debris down into the stormwater runoff causing blockages.

Don't plant large bushes or trees too close or over the drains running through your property. Tree roots can grow into a pipe through the smallest of cracks quickly causing blocked drains.

Healthy drains, healthy home

Keep your pipes healthy and treat your home plumbing system with respect and it will remain trouble-free all year round.