Keeping Your Plumbing Flowing Smoothly

If you deal with plumbing clogs on a regular basis, you might find yourself struggling with bent wire hangers, chemical drain cleaner, and unfamiliar pipes. Unfortunately, unless you are a trained professional, all of your efforts might be in vain. Most people don't realize it, but it is possible to damage your plumbing by making a few missteps. If you use the wrong chemicals or you push a little too hard, you might end up dealing with damaged pipes or your clogging problem could get worse. Fortunately, you might be able to use this blog to help you to keep your plumbing flowing smoothly.

This Is Why Your Garbage Disposal Keeps Backing Up

Blog

Garbage disposal units are popular to have in the kitchen because they're handy and let you dispose of food quickly and easily. But they're not always as reliable as one might think. If you've been having problems with your kitchen sink backing up on a regular basis, it's likely that your garbage disposal is to blame. Here's what you need to know.

The Problem With Disposal

While garbage disposal units are useful, they're not what was originally intended for plumbing. Pipes are typically only supposed to have two things go down them: liquid and bodily productions. But using a garbage disposal means that food and other debris is frequently going down the pipe. This can lead to issues down the road with clogs developing. It might seem like grinding up the food would prevent this from happening, but that's often exactly the problem with using a garbage disposal.

Over Time

Garbage disposal back-ups don't happen overnight, but rather gradually. This is because as you get rid of food, all the grease associated with it can gradually start to stick to the sides of the pipe. This lets water flow by freely, as water and oil don't mix, but when food particles and any other debris goes down the drain, it can start to get stuck in this oil. Over a long period of time, this can slow down your drain because there's less space for water and other food debris to get through. If it goes on for long enough, it will eventually create an entire clog that will potentially cause your drain to back up and not go down at all.

What to Do

If you're having this problem, it's a good idea to contact a plumber. While traditional drains can often be repaired with a problem like this by using a drain cleaner, the garbage disposal trap likely needs to be emptied and cleaned out which is something a drain cleaner can't achieve. You'll want professional help for this problem.

Your plumber will go to work cleaning out the trap and clearing the pipe either by using a drain cleaner or a hydro jet that will blast away any particles, blockages, and grease. Then they'll put everything back together and you'll be able to get back to your daily life.

In the future, it's a good idea to use eco-friendly cleaning agents as a preventative measure. This will help to keep things from building up in the first place and will keep your pipes running smoothly. Just remember to set up a schedule for your plumbing service to come out and clean out the trap once in a while, or you'll still eventually experience another back-up.

Share

14 February 2020