Owning a home is one of life's most expensive investments. However, while homeownership offers many excellent benefits, it takes a great deal of work to maintain them. Like most investments, they require continual diligence to ensure their value is maintained. This is especially true in residential homes.

There are a wide variety of maintenance issues that can arise in a home. The ones that should be of the most concern is those that involve the leading mechanical and structural systems. These include the plumbing, electrical, HVAC, foundation, and frame of the house.

When it comes to the plumbing, there are a wide variety of things that can be of concern. One of the biggest is protecting against damage from drain clogs. All drains in a home can get clogged, but there are ways to protect against significant clogs that can damage piping systems.

A Mr. Rooter plumber walking up to a client's house with branded van parked on the street behind him.

Home Drain Clog Problems

Homeowners should always be careful about what they put in their drains. Some of the most common drain clogs that can damage plumbing systems are caused by putting things in a drain system that should not be there as well as clogs from grease in the drain that harms the drainage capacity.

Toilet Clogs

Toilet drain clogs can wreak the most havoc on homeowners. Because the toilet is a primary sanitation need in a home, having a clogged toilet usually becomes an emergency that requires professional drain service to remedy.

While people don't generally think of a toilet as a primary place for clogged drains, drain clog repair services for toilets are quite common. These often occur when residents try flushing things down their toilets that do not belong disposed of that way. Sometimes this can happen by accident when a child places or flushes something in a toilet when parents are unaware. This is often the source of unknown causation of toilet clogs in homes with younger children.

One of the most common toilet clogs is caused by feminine hygiene products, diaper wipes, or disinfectant wipes that have been placed down the toilet. These product materials are not meant to be flushed down the toilet and can get jammed up in the plumbing because they do not break down like toilet paper. These products can cause significant problems in septic and sewer lines and do not readily unclog with drain cleaning products. These clogs often require the help of a professional drain clog repair company or plumber.

Bathtub and Sink Clogs

One of the most common clog areas is a bathtub. These drainage systems frequently get clogged up from excessive amounts of hair build-up. Using a drain catcher in the bathtub is recommended to help prevent excess hair from going into a drain system when people shower.

However, hair alone does not usually cause clogs in a bathtub. Instead, a combination of hair and hair products that do not break down easily blends with hair build up creating clumps of hair to get lodged in the drain. Many liquid soaps, gels, and conditioners can leave deposits of soap residue in a pipe, which causes piping to get jammed up. Often when this occurs, the need for professional drain service becomes necessary.

Kitchen Sink Drain Clogs

Kitchen sink clogs are not usually caused by soap build-up. While this can occur depending on the dish detergent products used, this is rarely the case. Kitchen sinks typically get clogged by grease deposits that build up residue in the pipes and combine with food particles.

Some of the worst-case kitchen sink clogs arise from people who continuously drain excess grease from cooked meals down the sink before serving them. Other grease build-ups can occur from people who frequently cook with oils.

High oil usage in cooking leaves dishes laden with grease and oil deposits, which often build up in the drain over time. This is true even when they are washed off with dish detergent because not all dish detergents have strong degreasing capability. Therefore, grease deposits continue to accumulate over time, which causes a narrowing in the sinks drain capacity. When combined with food particles, significant blockage often occurs. In this case, drain cleaning services is usually the best solution to ensure the drainpipe is cleaned correctly.

Important Note About Drain Cleaners

While some drain cleaning products can help clear smaller drain clogs, most extensive clogs cannot be cleaned this way. Standard drain cleaners are often caustic and can cause damage to piping systems.

Don’t risk damaging your drain system. Call the local & dedicated drain cleaning and repair service team at Mr. Rooter in Wallkill. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and we can come out to your property assess and fix the problem quickly & efficiently!
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