Does the waste get properly washed down, does it get stuck somewhere, is there any clogging, is the drain capable enough of handling the kind of waste or the volume of the waste, is the drain clean? Not many people even expect drains to be clean because they are supposed to be dirty due to the nature of their purpose.

The outcome is unsurprising. You will encounter drain backup. It is only when a drain backs up, there is foul smell, and you are unable to get rid of the waste in your sink, gutters, or toilets that you would worry. Let’s understand the causes of drain backup.

  • Drains are very effective at flushing out most types of liquid waste. Drains are not well designed to handle solid waste, even semisolid materials. All drains work relying on gravity, but there is no free fall. There are right angles, curves, weird angles, and different parts that can easily get clogged or jammed. If you are flushing down or trying to wash down solid or semisolid waste, then you are doing grave injustice to the drains. The only drain pipe that is designed to manage solid waste is the one connected to the toilet and that is not connected to the other drain pipes that manage liquid waste. There is a reason why some kitchen sinks have garbage disposals. They tend to crush all semi-solid and solid materials so they are very fine and don’t get jammed anywhere. More than getting jammed, they are the ones that clog the drains. Even then, experts recommend not using the crushers or grinders for meat, bones, or hair. The crushers or grinders too get clogged and malfunction.
  • Even liquid waste can clog drains. If you are flushing down any kind of liquid or chemical that has a tendency to form sediments that facilitate a buildup, then you are going to clog your drain. Use enough water to flush down liquid waste. There are cleansers that you can use which will get rid of sediments or deposits in the drain pipes. Water itself can clog a drain if you are burdening the pipes with more water than they can handle at once. Flooding a drain pipe is a common cause for drain backup and people don’t realize that it is just water that is jamming the flow and not any other obstacle.
  • Clogged drains can cause a major headache for any homeowner. Apart from flooded drains being the favorite place for insects and diseases, they could be the source of foul smell, and there can be flooding in unsuspecting areas in the property, including indoors. All the problems due to and emanating from the clogged drains are certainly undesirable, but if you wish to avoid them, then you have to be cautious. Regular maintenance can help you to avert clogged drains. Many homeowners don’t really care about the drains until there is some problem. It is similar to most fixtures in a home that are out of sight and are thus not cared for. Clean the drains as frequently as possible. Call us if you are unable to do it yourself or don’t have the time.
  • You should consider buying a garbage disposal unit if you don’t have one. This will allow you to run down some solid or semisolid waste without the fear of clogging the drains. The garbage disposal unit will crush the waste and make drainage simpler and smoother. But still there are some best practices you must follow. You may even consider upgrading your drains if they are incapable of handling the growing waste your household is generating. It is quite possible that your family has grown in size and there is more waste, it is normal and completely manageable. Just upgrade.

There are some exterior factors that can lead to drain backup. Roots of trees protruding and blocking pipes, rusted or corroded pipes, massive scale buildup and physical damage in the pipes or drains can lead to backup. Maintenance and repair is the remedy.