What Not To Put Down Your Drains
January 24, 2013We all suffer from slow-draining water or backed-up pipes from time to time, especially in the autumn months when falling leaves cause blockages in drains and gutters. This is a common problem that usually affects exterior drainage systems, but there are a number of steps we can take to avoid blockages of interior pipework by giving consideration to what we put down our drains.
Common Issues
One of the primary causes of blockages with internal pipework, especially in the U-bend in a kitchen sink, is the disposal of cooking oil and fats down the plughole. Grease and oil sticks to the inside of pipes, and, over time, causes an obstructive build up that can lead to blockages. This is particularly serious when it occurs in sewer systems, as the health issues involved with backed up sewage pipes are obvious to all! One way to avoid this is to let all cooking fats and oils cool before cleaning the pan, as this allows it to solidify and then be thrown into the bin.
Sanitary products and nappies are another common cause of blocked drains, as many systems aren’t designed to deal with bulkier items. Wrap them up and place them in a bin suitable for their disposal.
We generally get rid of the bigger leftovers on our plate before washing up, but it’s those smaller scraps of food that tend to be ignored that become a real issue. Like cooking fats, food waste that is washed down the plughole will harden in your pipes, causing blockages and bad smells. This not only applies to those leftovers from dinner, but also coffee grinds, egg shells, breadcrumbs and any other degradable waste. Ensure that you scrape your plate fully before putting it anywhere near your sink.
More Unusual Problems…
All of the above are common, everyday things that make their way down our plugs and drains. But every now and then there are reports of more unusual items popping up in the sewers beneath our feet.
From Christmas trees to false teeth; traffic cones to countless mobile phones, it’s all been found by sewer inspectors and waste management teams. More surprisingly, however, are the reports of live animals also discovered down there.
For example, a six-foot Mexican Desert King Snake was fished out of a waste water treatment works in Dunfermline, while Scotland was also the location for the recovery of a sheep from a manhole chamber and a cow from a storm drain!
Some finds are merely an extension of fly-tipping, such as dumped buggies, trolleys and carpets, whereas others have been highly dangerous. Rob Smith, a worker in the Thames Water sewage works, once came across an unused hand grenade in the sewers below the city. After removing it and placing it on the grass outside, he called the police and returned to work.
“Later the police said to me ‘were you the guy that found the hand grenade?’” explained Smith to BBC News Online. “I asked if it was live and they said ‘you don’t really want to know that’.”
Express Drainage Solutions
Fortunately, if your drains are blocked – by either hardened cooking fats or six-foot snakes! – Express Drainage Solutions have got you covered. Our expert team are available to carry out extensive drain unblocking, with free CCTV inspections to determine any blockages, followed by high pressure water jetting or electro mechanical drain cleaning to clear the obstruction.
We are able to act quickly and efficiently, with rapid response times and 24/7 availability, and our rates are highly competitive.
Get in touch today for more information, or to arrange a full drain unblocking at a time that’s convenient to you.
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