8 Most Common Causes of Blocked Drains
1. BABY WIPES
A common culprit of blocked drains are baby wipes. You might think a wet wipe is like flushing ordinary toilet paper down the drain…think again! Wet wipes are thicker and stick together. There are also a significant harm to our eco-system, with many of them not being bio-degradabe. Next time, pop them in the bin!
2. GREASE/OIL
Many people don’t realise that grease and oil is another common culprit for causing your drains to block. Have you ever innocently poured oil and grease down your kitchen sink? Just know that when grease and oil cools down, it solidifies, causing your drains to back-up!!
3. TOO MUCH TOILET PAPER
A common call-out for us is a drain being blocked due to a client using too much toilet paper. Using too much toilet paper can cause your drains to become clogged and block-up! Try not to use anymore than 10 sheets of toilet paper at once.
4. TREE ROOTS
If your drains are blocked, and you have trees near by (especially gum trees and palm trees), it is likely that tree roots will be the culprit! Over time, with ground movement or poor installation of the drains, your drains may become damaged, allowing tree roots to grow into your drains.
5. ROCKS/PEBBLES
Do you have any stormwater grates or ORGs around your house? Commonly children like to throw pebbles or rocks down these, casuing your sewer or stormwater to block!
6. FOOD WASTE
If you have an insinkerator, they often get blocked over time (especially if you put particular foods down your insinkerator, like celery!).
Also, remember, your sinks are for luquid (but not grease/oil), so avoid putting any type of food down your drain!
7. HAIR
In your bathroom basins, hair often causes your drain to block-up over time. Hair often gets easily tangled, and can get sticky when mixed with other objects (i.e. soap!). Avoid brushing your hair over the basin to prevent your drains being blocked from hair.
8. TOILETRIES/FORGEIN OBJECTS
We all know this…. but we still get call-outs because people have flushed forgein objects or toiletries down their toilet. Toiletries often absorb water and expand, easily blocking your drain. The bin is always better, and will save you time and money!
