While homeowners have had their sewer drains for years, studies by drain cleaning services providers show that most of the homeowners make plenty of mistakes with their drains which leads to the drains developing a lot of problems. Here are some of the most common mistakes that the homeowners make:
Overusing chemicals
When the sewer lines clog up, many homeowners go for the easiest cleaning method, which in most cases is sewer unclogging using chemicals. While the chemicals are highly effective in their working, they are harmful in the long run.
For example, in addition to being risky to handle, they also tend to degrade the sewer lines when you use them for a long time.
Do you want to protect yourself and your sewer lines? You should avoid using the chemicals at all costs. The best way of unclogging the sewer lines when they clog up is to using augers and the other safer sewer cleaning methods. If something is going to damage your sewer lines, stay away from it.
Using the plunger incorrectly
The plunger is usually the ideal tool of choice for many homeowners as it’s easy to use. You can also easily find it in your local store. While the tool is very popular, many homeowners don’t use it correctly which leads to a wide range of problems. In most cases, improper use of the tool leads to problems getting rid of the clog.
For you to get the most from the plunger, you need to use it properly. In fact, the first thing you should do is to buy the right one. You should note that there are many types of plungers in the market that you can go for. You should choose the right one for your drains.
After buying the right plunger, your next step should be to learn how to use it correctly. For you to get rid of the clogging material place it in such a way that the drain is completely sealed.
You should then carefully work it up and down, generating enough pressure to get rid of the clogging material. As rule of thumb, avoid plunging too fast as you will not only make the process messy, you also will most likely push the foreign materials further down the drain making it hard to get rid of them.
Unclogging the sewer line using a garden hose
The water from the garden hose is at high pressure thus ideal for unclogging the sewer lines, right? Wrong. Many homeowners try using the regular garden hose as a hydro-jet, but it doesn’t work.
You should note that while the pressure from the garden hose might seem high, it usually isn’t high enough to get rid of blockages that result from tree roots or foreign materials. In addition to failing to get rid of the clogging materials, the garden hose also tends to cause flooding.
In some cases, it causes damage to the sewer pipes and the surfaces around the drain.
If you are having a clog that is difficult to get rid of, you should avoid using the garden hose at all costs. The best way of going about it is hiring a professional drain contractor who will undertake proper hydro-jetting.
The hydro-jet is a specialized tool that emits water at ultra-high pressure, getting rid of even the most minor and problematic clogs that your drains might be having.
Allowing the sewer drains to clog
The first mistake that people make with their sewer lines is to allow them to clog in the first place. The main reason why the lines clog up is due to putting the wrong things down the systems.
As you probably know, you shouldn’t flush down any non-biodegradable materials down the drains. This means that paper towels, sanitary towels, coffee grinds, egg shells, and any other materials shouldn’t find their way down your drains.
Thinking that you can unclog the drain by yourself
The final mistake that many people make is having the notion that they can unclog the drains by themselves. While you can do it if you are having a minor clog, you will have to hire toilet drain cleaning services providers or any other experts to help you unclog the problematic clogs that might be present.
