How to Avoid Clogged Pipes (and the Plumbing Bills That Come With Them!)

Every year we clear clogs out of thousands of pipes in Atlanta homes and businesses. Most of these clogs would have been very easy to prevent, but there are many common myths out there about what’s flushable or drain safe and what isn’t. That’s why part of a standard clog service call at True Plumbing is teaching our customers about how to care for their fixtures and prevent clogs from forming.

Here’s what we tell them:

Toilet:

Only flush toilet paper. Other wipes and products such as tampons, Q tips, dental floss are made of cotton or plastic-based materials that take years to biodegrade and flow down the drain. Over time, when these items are flushed daily they get caught on even small imperfections in your drains and dam up the flow of wastewater. If you know you have older pipes (pre 1970’s) or you know there is a current imperfection in the drain like roots, a backsloped pipe, or pipe separation underground, I advise to use single ply toilet paper. We can run a drain camera to do a visual inspection on your pipes so you know if you are at risk of a clog or flood.

Oh, and I need to mention kitty litter! Over time those little rocks line the drain from the bottom up and do not make it through the pipe!

Bathroom sink: 

Due to makeup, shaving cream, hair, and other oily residues that go down your bathroom sinks, a grime builds up over time that causes slow draining and eventually full clogs. It’s hard to avoid some of this, but the best thing you can do is to keep any hair from going down the sink. Hair gives the gunk more surface area to bind to and causes faster clogging. Personally I wipe out the clippings with a tissue and toss it in the trash can when trimming my beard. 

Tiled shower drains:

This is one that is very common and not well known. In newer showers especially, the grout and soap residue creates a crust that lines the drain. This can result in clogs on almost a yearly basis in some homes. When hair starts to get caught in this scaling, clogs happen more frequently so it is nice to have some sort of hair catching device. You can find these on amazon.

Tub drains:

In tubs we mostly see hair clogs. So, just as with the shower drain, the best defense is using a hair catching device that you can set over the drain. The other culprit on tub drains is the drain stopping mechanism itself. We will get calls for clogged tub drains and it turns out the stopper is malfunctioning or broken. Sometimes this can result in having to replace the drain itself, or what we call the “waste and overflow”.

Kitchen sink drains: 

Anything greasy like bacon fat should be disposed of elsewhere. Grease will create a thin lining in your pipes and over time it has a similar effect to a clogged artery. I have personally cut into a kitchen drain 30 feet from the sink and it was clogged solid with grease! 

A restaurant sink drain packed with grease.

Garbage disposals:

Not all food products can go into a garbage disposal!

Egg shells and coffee grounds: They act like sand and sink to the bottom

Bones, seeds, and any other hard or cellulose materials. Folks tend to think the garbage disposal can mince up anything but that just isn’t so! I tell my family to scrape their plate into the trash can and when we cook,  make the extra effort to toss the leafy greens, potato skins, and other large masses of food into the trash as well.

A few more notes on solving drain problems:

Do not use Drano, Liquid Plumber, or other liquids that promise to dissolve clogs. These products are made of strong acids that hurt the environment and corrode metals. So, while you can temporarily relieve a clog with these chemicals, you are also causing cosmetic damage and shortening the life span of your drain pipes. We see drains often that have corroded chrome from the use of drain chemicals.

If you do want to use liquid drain products to increase the flow, make sure you choose one that is made with biological drain clearing agents. These liquids contain enzymes and bacteria that naturally consume the grease and oil buildups in drains. 

The only way to truly resolve slow or stopped up drains is to physically remove the debris or replace the clogged pipe!

Worried you might have a drain clog in metro Atlanta? Call or text 770-PLUMBER–we’re at your service!