How To: Look After Your Drains

As soon as you get onto the property ladder and can call yourself a homeowner, you’re faced with a whole new tirade of responsibility that, as a tenant, you wouldn’t have had to deal with before. Maintenance and repair of your home is all of a sudden down to you and while you may have a list of trades on standby should you ever need to call them, keeping things shipshape for as long as possible will mean you have a little longer before you need to pick up the phone.

Plumbing and drainage services are a handy number to have, because burst pipes and plumbing repairs will always be a problem in homes of all ages. You may have the number of a plumber, who you could call on should your shower break down, or you could put your trust into the reputation of the Dyno-Rod blocked drain service, but for smaller issues, you could put your trust into yourself.

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Knowing how to maintain your drains will help to save you unnecessary call outs and will ensure that the pipes in your home are in tip-top condition for as long as possible.

  • Help to keep them clear of blockages by pouring boiling hot water down them regularly. Boil the kettle once a week and you can prevent the build-up of fatty deposits, grease and unwanted smells.

  • Avoid harsh chemical cleaners because you never know what’s in your drains that they can react with. Instead, use baking soda and vinegar, followed by boiling hot water, to help to dissolve dirt and grime. Do this two or three times a year.

  • Be aware of what is going down your waste drains – scrape plates and pour grease and oil into plastic bottles and throw away in your normal rubbish bin.

  • Check the gutters a couple of times a year, particularly in the autumn, to remove any build-up of leaves and debris. This will help to keep water flow unrestricted.

If you do run into trouble, which at some point, you inevitably will, give the Dyno-Rod blocked drain services a call that will provide you with a speedy solution.

*Photo by David Blackwell

5 thoughts on “How To: Look After Your Drains

  • July 7, 2013 at 9:58 am
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    Thanks for tips. Taking preventative measures, especially with plumbing, can save you lots of money down the road. Another thing that I do is turn off and then turn on the valve to the toilet. Do this once or twice a year. Over time it can get stuck and if you get a toilet overflow you know that the valve will work and shut off the water when you need too.

  • July 2, 2013 at 12:45 pm
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    THIS! Home ownership can be so much work. I’d never trade it for renting, but those times when I have had problems are definitely stressful. I’ve had rootballs blocking up my pipes going out to my septic tank so I know aaaalll about this!

  • July 1, 2013 at 7:57 pm
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    Isn’t it funny that my mom used vinegar and baking soda and after all of these years, I do too?!

  • July 1, 2013 at 4:25 pm
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    We use the hot water, vinegar and baking soda too. :)

  • July 1, 2013 at 3:40 pm
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    we don’t use chemicals here- lots of vinegar and baking soda :)

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