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How to Improve the Flow of Your Drains

By 17 September 2019Winnipeg plumbers

Most homeowners take their good plumbing for granted until a problem arises. This might be an obvious issue like a leaking pipe. Other times, the issue might be a little subtler. One of the most common complaints regarding sewer and drain in Winnipeg is that the drains move too slowly. While this is not necessarily an issue, a slow drain can certainly be an annoying issue for you to deal with. 

 

Fortunately, there are plenty of easy solutions that improve the speed of your drains. If you’re ready to tackle your slow drains, you will definitely want to see these top five tips.  

 

Collect Your Grease

 

You are cooking up a batch of delicious golden French fries, but what do you do with the grease when you’re finished? Home cooks are often tempted to take the easy way out and dump the hot grease down their sink. While this may be the easiest and most convenient solution, it can spell trouble for your drain. 

 

Hot grease slides down the pipe quickly. However, it begins to congeal and solidify in your pipes as it cools. Other particles get stuck in the congealed mess and create an even bigger disaster. This can definitely create significant clogs and slow down your drain speed. The best way to discard used grease is to place it another container or trash receptacle. 

 

Rethink the Garbage Disposal

 

Along a similar vein, many people toss anything and everything into their garbage disposal. Potato peels, fruit rinds, and the mystery meat from the back of the refrigerator all get chucked down the drain. It is important to remember that these foods still have to travel through your pipes. The garbage disposal does do some work to grind them up until they are small enough to travel through the pipes, but it may not be enough. 

 

Try to run foods through the garbage disposal in small batches. This prevents the disposal from being overwhelmed and allowing larger chunks to pass through its grips. Alternatively, you could attempt to find a different way to discard food scraps when possible. You might consider composting or simply disposing of them in a trash can with a lid. 

 

Install a Mesh Screen

 

Men and women alike struggle with loose hair that falls out in the shower. These long strands knot together and often create quite a tangle inside of your drain. A hard-to-remove clog is formed when these strands combine with the soap in your shower. A drain snake can be used to unknot this mess, but it is a task that is best avoided whenever possible. 

 

Consider purchasing a mesh screen that doubles as your bathtub stopper. This catches hair in the screen for easy removal before it begins to clog your drains. 

 

Discard Construction Materials

 

Cleaning up the mess leftover from your home improvement project can be tricky. You might want to rinse your trowels or grout buckets in the convenience of your indoor sink. Buckets that once held wet cement have to be cleaned out somewhere after all. Think long and hard before you do any of this type of construction clean-up in your home. These materials can get stuck in the plumbing and harden. It can be nearly impossible to get them free once they set. 

 

Clean Up Outside

 

Are you covered in sand from a long day at the beach? Maybe you were mucking about in the mud during a rainy afternoon. You have been looking forward to a shower all day, but it may not be the best choice. The best thing you can do is to take an outdoor shower prior to taking a real shower inside your home. A quick hose-down will remove a lot of the debris and muck that is stuck to your skin. 

 

Remember that you should rinse out clothes and towels as well. Running them through the washing machine covered in sand and mud can ruin your plumbing lines as well as your drains.  Sand is notorious for clogging up your plumbing. Because of the fine grain, it can easily become trapped in hard-to-reach places. Even a professional plumber may have a hard time getting rid of all the sand when this problem has accumulated over time. 

 

Achieve Better Drain Flow

 

Knowing what plumbing services you need can be extremely important. Many homeowners may allow their drains to move slowly for months before they contact their Winnipeg professionals. There are many things you can do at home to ensure that your system runs smoothly, but you may still need the help of a professional. 

 

If you need someone to look at your sewer and drain in Winnipeg, look no further than Clean Line! Contact us today to set up an appointment to have us flush your lines and clear out your drains.  

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