Clogs are one of the main reasons many people in San Jose, California, and around the country contact a plumber. They can happen in the tub, sink, or toilet, and there is typically nothing that you can personally do to unclog them. These huge inconveniences are often caused by something that unintentionally went down the drain. In this guide, we are going to identify nine of the most common causes of drain clogs so that you can help prevent them.
1. Food, Grease, and Cooking Oil
Even if you have a garbage disposal in your home, just allowing food and grease to go down the drain is going to cause a clog. Pipes are not designed for food scraps, and some foods like coffee grounds, pasta, and rice can cause more damage to the pipes before the food gets through the system. It is not good to pour fat from food or oil down the drain. It may be liquid when it goes down, but if it does not go through the pipes with hot water, the grease will harden, creating a blockage in the drain.
2. Soap Residue
Since most bar soap consists of some form of animal fat, it is going to leave soap scum behind. If you can see this on your soap container, you can best believe that it will also leave residue behind as it goes down the drain. When you use the same type of soap for months, drain clogs happen more frequently. You can prevent this type of clog by simply switching to liquid soap. It does not have animal fat in it, so there is no soap scum left behind.
3. Toothpaste
You might not think that toothpaste is an issue when it comes to clogs. However, it is a substance that easily sticks to the side of the drains, and its thickness will take up a significant portion of the pipe’s surface if you’re not careful. Any time you brush your teeth, make sure that plenty of water follows any toothpaste that goes down the drain to help push it through the system. Also, kids tend to use more toothpaste than they need. So, if you can limit their toothpaste use, clogs from this source should decrease.
4. Hair
Regardless of how short your hair is, shedding it is common, especially when you wash it in the shower. When the hair combines with soap scum that goes down the drain, a clog is likely the result. Hair and soap become like glue in the drain, which makes water moving through the system nearly impossible. One way to help prevent this problem in the first place is to use a drain cover that can catch the hair before it becomes an issue.
5. Mineral Buildup
If you have hard water in your home, then it is full of minerals that can build up over time and create clogs in the drainage system. The minerals found in hard water often include calcium and magnesium, which create layers on the inside of the pipes. This makes passageways thinner.
One way to prevent this from occurring is to make your water softer by installing a water softener in your home. Without this step, you will need to clean the mineral build-up out of the pipes and descale them every year or so. If you have a lot of mineral buildup in your pipes, our team at Ribbs Plumbing Services can use hydro-jetting to effectively clean your drainage system.
6. Tree Roots
If you are experiencing multiple drains clogging at the same time, then it is likely that the clog is further down the drain in your sewage system. One of the main causes of clogs in sewer lines is tree roots.
Tree roots that break into the pipes can continue to grow inside of them and create a complete blockage. If the root keeps growing, it is likely to burst eventually, which will cause more issues with your plumbing system than drain clogs. Make sure that you are not planting new trees or shrubs in the vicinity of the pipes so that they are not at risk of creating more damage.
7. Excess Dirt
If you have a child who plays sports, you understand how much they can track mud and dirt into the home. When you wash off this soil in the shower, it creates clogs. To minimize this, we suggest shaking off excess dirt before going into your home. Small pebbles and pieces of grass can combine with mud to make a messy build-up inside the pipes. When dirt combines with soap scum and hair, it creates a tangle that will be difficult to undo, and then a blockage develops.
8. Thick Toilet Paper
In older plumbing systems, thicker toilet paper is a problem since it takes a lot longer to dissolve than single-ply toilet paper. Since it takes longer to break down, it’s much more likely to cause a clog in your system. Rougher pipe interiors exacerbate because they have small edges that capture thicker paper. These captured sheets combine with other toilet paper and solid matter to form blockages, which can lead to backups.
If you do not choose to use single-ply toilet paper, keep a wastebasket with a lid next to the toilet so that you can dispose of toilet paper instead of flushing it. You can also consult a plumber to see if there are any options you can use that will not compromise your comfort and your plumbing system.
9. Wipes, Tissues, and Paper Towels
Unfortunately, while there are many products on the market that claim to be “flushable” and “septic safe,” the truth is, in many cases, this just isn’t accurate. Like thicker toilet paper, flushable wipes easily get caught in the interior of pipes, especially if they have a rough interior surface. These also take a long time to break down naturally within your septic system.
These wipes break down at a slower rate, with some taking weeks to dissolve. This is much longer than the time it takes thicker toilet paper to dissolve, which is roughly a day. An even worse offender than toilet wipes is facial tissue. These can take weeks or months to fully break down in your septic system, so it’s very easy for these to clog up your drains.
This is because tissue isn’t designed to break down in water. These also cause problems for items like sump pumps and sewage pumps at wastewater treatment plants. Facial tissue retains water, so it’s one of the worst things to flush.
Finally, paper towels are a major cause of drain clogs. This is because paper towels, like facial tissue, absorb liquid while staying intact. This means that they can accumulate within your pipes and cause clogs that create backups.
Contact a Reliable Plumber Today
Drain clogs are a major issue with plumbing, but there are ways to minimize clogs while keeping the health of your drainage system in mind. Ribbs Plumbing Services is a family-owned business serving San Jose since 1927. We know what your plumbing system needs, and we have comprehensive solutions that you can trust. We offer services such as drain cleaning, and we perform repairs and new installations. If you need plumbing maintenance in your home, contact Ribbs Plumbing Services today.
