One component of maintaining a clean and healthy home is ensuring that your drains function optimally. In Reading, like most regions, blocked drains are common, posing not just an inconvenience in daily chores but also a potential health threat. Understanding the chief causes of blocked drains could go a long way towards mitigating sanitary troubles.
One of the foremost causes of blocked drains is a build-up of foreign material. Items such as soap, hair, fats, or food build-up on the insides of the pipes and over time, could lead to sizeable blockages. Bathroom drains are generally clogged by hair, soap scum and toothpaste, while kitchen drains suffer due to food waste, oil, grease, or leftovers. An effective way to prevent these blockages is to install drain screens and regularly clean them.
Another common cause is the improper disposal of hygiene products. Many people wrongly assume that toilets can deal with items such as baby wipes, sanitary products, cotton balls and even diapers. However, these items are not designed to break down in water like toilet paper and can easily get stuck, causing severe blockages. These items should instead be discarded appropriately in the garbage bin.
Tree roots are also a major cause. They can grow into pipes, causing them to crack and block. The crisis heightens during the autumn leaf fall season in Reading, causing a spike in drain blockages owing to excessive leaf accumulation in the drains. While it may be impossible to prevent this, measures like regular cleaning and timely maintenance of the drains can go a long way in mitigating the issue.
At times, the culprit may be structural damage to the pipes. Over time, pipes can crack, collapse, or become dislodged due to ground movement, heavy vehicles driving overhead or simply ageing. This can cause a partial or even total blockage. Regular inspection of pipes can identify damage early and thus prevent blockages.
In older homes especially, a common reason is an outdated and ineffective plumbing system. Often, drains connected to these systems bunch together, causing serious blockages over time. It’s recommended to update the entire system if economically feasible, to avoid recurring issues.
Residential areas in Reading sometimes are affected by fatbergs, which are sewer blockages made of a mixture of non-biodegradable solid matter (like wet wipes) and congealed grease or cooking fat. Enhanced awareness about responsible disposal of waste and the importance of not pouring fats or oils down the sink can blocked drains reading help combat this issue.
Finally, heavy rainfall and storms can overload the drainage system, leading to blocked drains. While it’s difficult to prevent this, cleaning gutters and pipes regularly, and especially before the rainy season, can prove helpful.
In sum, whether it’s foreign materials, hygiene products, tree roots, damaged pipes, old plumbing systems, fatbergs or heavy rains, understanding the source of the problem is the first stride to effective and efficient drain maintenance. In all cases, regular inspection and maintenance go a long way in preventing such issues, keeping your home in Reading, as well as the environment, healthier and cleaner.
