9 Items That Should Never Go Down the Drain

9 Items That Should Never Go Down the Drain

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Here at Garvin’s Sewer Service, we get calls from homeowners all the time because they have a clogged drain, and while there absolutely are times when this happens for reasons well beyond the homeowner’s control, there also are entirely too many times when that call to their commercial drain cleaning in Englewood could’ve been avoided. How? By simply knowing what can and cannot go down a drain.

Whether it’s the toilet, the kitchen sink, or a laundry room basin, the important thing to remember here is that your home’s plumbing system is designed to handle liquids and very few approved flushable solids like toilet paper.

Despite this rule of thumb, we often see certain types of solids dumped down the drain, and to help our customers avoid an emergency plumbing call in the future, we’ve assembled a list of those items here:

#1 Coffee Grounds

They seem small enough that they should just flush away like any liquid would, but they actually are one of the most common offenders of slow-building clogs in kitchen sinks.

#2 Eggshells

Ground-up eggshells can cause exactly the same type of problem. It’s just as easy to throw them away into the garbage can or to use them as compost if you’ve got a garden.

#3 Oil or Grease

Used oil or grease may seem liquid enough to dump down the drain when it’s still hot, but grease does eventually cool off and become more of a solid inside your pipes. Your best bet is to run this grease into an old jar or can, let it cool and harden, then throw it away in the trash.

#4 Produce Stickers

Even a little bit of adhesive on the backs of those stickers can add to drain clogs. They’re better off in the garbage, like all the other solid items on this list.

#5 Cotton Balls

Another big problem is when people flush solid items down the toilet, including cotton balls (and dental floss for that matter). They don’t dissolve like toilet paper does, which makes them more prone to cause clogs in your toilet.

#6 Paper Towels

Paper towels and wipes are the same way. They may look a lot like toilet paper, but they’re made to be thicker and more durable, which means they won’t disintegrate in your water like TP does.

#7 Condoms

Rubber is not biodegradable, which means these have no business being flushed town toilets. Keeping this type of garbage out of the water supply is important, so just throw them away instead.

#8 Feminine Hygiene Products

Flushing feminine hygiene products may feel like the fastest, most sanitary way to dispose of them, but like the other items listed above, they do not dissolve into the water, which makes them a prime candidate for causing issues with drains, even though they say they are flushable.

#9 Household Chemicals

Household cleaners, car fluids, and even paint are items that people often wash down drains, but we would caution against all of them. Toxic chemicals are never great for the water supply, so stick to all-natural cleaners or find safer ways to dispose of your household chemicals.

Call An Emergency Plumber

Whether you’ve flushed these items down your drain or not, it’s possible you’ll find yourself in need of a drain cleaning plumber in Englewood, and the professionals at Garvin’s Sewer Service are happy to help. Do your best to keep these items out of your drains, but if an emergency does ever arise, we’ll be here to help return your plumbing functionality back to normal.

Sink drain cleaning

Clean Your Drains Regularly Before They Drain You

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The drains in your home aren’t necessarily something you can see, but they are essential in ensuring that water is carried away from the home rather than pooling on the floor somewhere and/or dripping from the ceiling. Ideally, homeowners would not have to deal with leaky or damaged drains because they’d all work perfectly all the time, but the fact is since they are hidden behind walls it’s almost impossible to know that something is wrong until it’s too late.

That doesn’t mean there’s nothing you can do to prevent leaks and damaged drains. The easier thing to do is hire a professional drain cleaning service in Denver, CO to make sure your home’s drains are cleared out and working properly. Even if they aren’t causing backups, dirty drains can build up bacteria and germs, which is gross, unsanitary, and potentially corrosive to your pipes.

Four Reasons to Clean Your Drains

#1 To Prevent Major Plumbing Issues

The most important reason to have your drains cleaned regularly is to avoid major plumbing emergencies. A minor issue can become a major issue pretty quickly, especially when it comes to blockages. What starts as a bit of grime can build up into a full blockage, and then you’re looking at sewage backing up and a potentially very expensive series of repairs. Grease, soap, fat, and hair are the most common culprits, and regular drain cleanings keep those from turning into much larger issues.

#2 To Boost the Longevity of Your Plumbing System

And that’s the other major advantage. If you’re preventing major issues, you’re also boosting the longevity of the system as a whole. Blockages put strain on pipes and drains, and buildup can be corrosive. Rather than spending a small amount of money for a cleaning, homeowners can spend huge amounts on full system replacements. Clean drains prolong the inevitability of that.

#3 To Reduce Foul Odors

These blockages are, quite frankly, gross. They look gross, feel gross, and smell gross, and the longer these clumps of fat and grease are allowed to sit there and build bacteria and mold, the more likely they are to stink up the house whenever you use that sink or shower. No one likes these types of unpleasant smells, and a drain cleaning can prevent them from happening.

#4 To Prevent the Spread of Bacteria and Germs

Those bacteria have another negative outcome: turning your sink into a cesspool that can work its way onto food and otherwise clean dishes. Bacteria and germs in this context are not good for anyone, but a cleanout can prevent them from infesting your sink.

Hiring a Drain Cleaning Plumber Near Englewood, CO

If you find yourself in need of a drain cleaning plumber in or around Englewood, CO, contact Garvin’s Sewer Service so we can inspect your drains and schedule a cleaning if necessary. There are so many important reasons to make sure your drains are clean and working functionally, because the financial burden of resulting major plumbing issues simply isn’t worth the hassle or the expense.

How to Clear a Basement Drain Without a Snake | Garvin's Sewer Service

How to Clear a Basement Drain Without a Snake

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For as long as there has been modern plumbing, pipes and drains have gotten clogged, and it never stops being frustrating for the people and/or families dealing with the problem. Floor drains—especially those located in basements—are especially susceptible to blockages since all the other water and waste from the house is carried downward by gravity to septic tanks or public sewers. Knowing that, we see a lot of floor drain clogs here at Garvin’s Sewer Service, and while we would love to help those in need with these types of problems, there are a few approaches homeowners can try before contacting an emergency drain cleaning service.

The Causes of Floor Drain Clogs

Before attempting to unclog a floor drain on your own, it’s worth knowing why these clogs happen in the first place. The most common issue occurs when sediment or waste accumulates in the pipes over time and creates a clog large enough to slow down the flow of the water. Other possible causes include broken or damaged pipes, water flow issues, or even pipes that were installed incorrectly in the first place. Sometimes, torrential storms can leave dirt and other sediment in the system that also can cause problems.

Whatever the cause, it’s a headache that can lead to bigger problems if left unattended.

How to Unclog a Floor Drain

While using a plumbing snake is usually the easiest way to tackle this (and again, Garvin’s Sewer Service is happy to provide this service), there are a few other things homeowners can try.

Clean the Trap

The first step in getting your floor drain to work as it was intended is to clean out the trap. To do this, locate the backflow preventer in your basement, remove its cap, then get a chisel and drive it around the notches in the retaining ring. Loosen the ring and the backflow ball, and then use a shop vac to suck out all the nasty sediment in the trap, which likely is part of what’s causing the problem.

After cleaning the trap, remove the backflow preventer’s cleanout plug and connect strong wire or cable to a power drill so you can spin it into the pipe opening. This should clear the clog and get your water flowing again.

Try Baking Soda and Vinegar

Sometimes, baking soda and vinegar can unclog a drain if the blockage isn’t especially stubborn. Start by pouring a pot of boiling hot water down the drain, followed by ½ cup baking soda. Let that sit a few minutes, then pour a mixture of one cup of vinegar and one cup of very hot water on top of the baking soda. Let it sit for five to ten minutes, then flush it one last time with another pot of boiling water.

Avoid Chemical Drain Cleaners

If that doesn’t work, it might be time to call someone here at Garvin’s Sewer Service to handle the clog for you. Avoid using chemical drain cleaners because they send toxic material into the sewers, and these chemicals can even corrode older plumbing systems. If chemicals are necessary, allow professionals to be the ones who use them.

When It’s Time to Call a Professional

If you have a basement drain blockage that won’t unclog, never hesitate to call Garvin’s Sewer Service. If you can’t do it safely yourself, we will get your basement drain unclogged and functioning properly again in no time.