How to Avoid Overflowing Drains
Overflowing drains can be caused by a number of things. If it’s an outside drain that’s blocked the most likely culprit is going to be some dead leaves, branches, or possibly tree roots. If indoors, it could be due to a number of things including food waste, baby wipes, and foreign objects. Either way, a blocked drain is no fun, and cause a whole host of problems if not sorted quickly.
Apart from the obvious (i.e. don’t put anything down your drain that isn’t designed to go there), there are a number of things you can do to avoid getting into this situation to begin with. But to make things easier, let’s first break it down by area.
Indoors
- Bathroom. The bathroom can be quite a cluttered room, with various bottles, and sprays, hair clips, and makeup potentially scattered all over the place. Therefore, it’s of no real surprise that the odd implement or two should get dropped down the toilet by mistake. However, to avoid blockages, try and keep your toilet free from foreign objects. Even things such as baby wipes, and cotton pads can cause serious problems and should always be disposed of in a waste bin instead.
- Kitchen. In the kitchen, the main culprits you have to deal with are grease, oil, and food waste. These are all very good at causing blockages in your sink but are also easily avoidable. Unless you have a built-in garbage disposal unit, you should always scrape your food waste into a bin. And never pour grease or oil directly down the drain. Instead, set it aside, let it cool, then dispose of it in the bin.
Outdoors
- Leaves and trees. When it comes to your outside drains, the main cause of blockages are leaves, branches, and tree roots. The easiest way to avoid any of these causing your drains to overflow, is by keeping your drains clear and free from debris. Sweeping any nearby leaves on regular basis and using a compost heap for leaves will certainly help, as will cutting back any large trees.
When to Call in the Experts
It’s a whole lot easier to be resourceful these days thanks to credit cards and the good, old internet. However, even the best of us need to know when to throw the towel in. Sometimes, you’ll do all you can to clear a blocked drain and it still won’t work. Water is still overflowing and all your worldly possessions (at least those in the near vicinity of the leak) are being ruined. It’s at this point, you need to say, “Enough is enough”, and simply call in those more qualified than you to deal with the problem at hand, before it gets any worse.
There are plenty of other good reasons as to when/why you should call in the experts, including:
- Risk of pipe damage. Pouring just any old kind of chemical down your drain in hopes that it will unblock itself can do a lot more damage than good. Even some dedicated cleaning solutions contain harsh chemicals that can cause your pipes to corrode. If you call in the experts, they’ll know the best stuff to use.
- Fumes exposure. Dealing with strong chemical solutions exposes yourself to fumes and could spark an allergic reaction. Drainage experts will have all the safety equipment needed to carry out the job without this risk.
- Electricity and water don’t mix. If your home is flooding due to a blocked drain, then depending on where it is, there may be a risk of electrocution. Don’t let it get worse. Get help now.
- Insurers don’t like DIYers. It’s a well-known fact that insurers will do all they can to get out of paying a claim – only with legitimate reason, of course. If you do try and repair the drain block yourself but cause more damage than was there to begin with, you find the insurers a little reluctant to pay out. Therefore, if it looks anything more than a basic block that can be cleared with a plunger, it may be wise to give the pros a call.
We hope you found the above useful and are now feeling much more confident as to how you can prevent your drains from overflowing in the future. However, if you are already in a position where you need a little drainage help, then give FS Drainage a call. They’re fast, they’re friendly, and are at hand all throughout London and its surrounding areas to help keep your drains fresh and free flowing.
