Smelly, gurgling drains? Sounds like you haven’t been maintaining them.
Regularly flushing pipes and drains can keep the water flowing freely away from your home, and that’s what you want when it comes to wastewater and sewage.
In this article, we talk about what can happen if you neglect your plumbing system and teach you how to maintain your drains to avoid expensive and messy plumbing problems.
The Benefits of Regular Drain Maintenance
If you’re a homeowner, you should take steps to maintain drains and avoid plumbing emergencies. Regular inspections and maintenance can help:
- Avoid the cost and inconvenience of calling an emergency plumber to fix a clog or blockage.
- Detect and resolve plumbing problems before they cause a backup and create water damage in your home and property.
- Extend the life of plumbing and pipes.
- Reduce odours, improve hygiene and indoor air quality, and avoid mould and mildew growth.
- Improve the performance and efficiency of slow-draining fixtures.
- Stop leaking pipes from leaching hazardous substances such as sewage and chemicals into the soil and waterways.
Common Issues Caused by Neglected Drains
From foul smells to major health hazards, maintaining drains can save you a lot of money and heartache.
1. Blockages and clogs
Failing to keep drains clean and free of debris that can prevent an easy flow of water to the sewer or septic system is the number one way to cause a blockage.
Debris such as hair, soap scum, food particles, grease, oils, and toilet paper can build up in pipes and cause plumbing issues.
The best way to clear blockages and clogs and prevent them from reoccurring is to call in professionals.
The Relining Company specialises in clearing blocked drains and getting to the root of the cause.
In some instances where ageing pipes are causing repeated blockages, pipe relining may be the safest, cleanest, and most cost-effective solution.
2. Reduced lifespan of plumbing and pipes
As debris accumulates and begins to break down in your drainage system, it causes pressure and corrosion in plumbing and pipes.
Therefore, maintaining a clean plumbing system not only prevents blockages but also helps to extend its lifespan.
Ignoring bad smells, backed-up sinks, showers and toilets, and other common signs a drain is blocked can lead to the need for costly and inconvenient emergency plumbing services.
With regular maintenance, such as drain cleaning, you will keep your plumbing system in good condition and avoid unnecessary pipe repairs due to cracks and leaks.
3. Foul smells and health hazards caused by bacteria
Drains that aren’t maintained not only stink, they are also hazardous to your health. As food, oil, and grease break down in your pipes, it can cause foul smells in bathroom or kitchen sinks and drains.
This rotting debris is also a breeding ground for harmful bacteria that can contaminate your home and water supply.
4. Sewage in your backyard
Cracked and leaking pipes due to unmaintained drains can cause sewage and chemicals to seep into the soil in your backyard and enter local waterways.
To make sure wastewater reaches sewage treatment plants or your septic system and doesn’t pollute the environment, inspect and clean drains regularly or call for the expertise of a reputable plumbing company.
The Relining Company uses the latest trenchless pipe relining technology and equipment to unblock drains and permanently repair leaking or cracked pipes without needing an expensive pipe replacement, which would involve digging up driveways and backyards.
5. Flooding inside the home
One of the worst consequences of drain blockages due to neglect is that they can cause flooding within your home. Clogged drains will force water out however they can, including out of sinks, toilets, and shower drains.
Sewage flowing through your home is a health hazard that can damage flooring, walls, and furniture.
However, regular maintenance and inspections can help avoid a blockage that causes internal flooding and give you peace of mind that your family, pets, and assets are safe.
DIY Tips for Drain Maintenance
To avoid blockages and costly pipe repairs, prevention is key. Take care not to clog drains by tipping oils and fats down the kitchen sink.
Don’t flush anything other than toilet paper, and use drain covers to prevent hair and food particles from building up and causing a blockage.
Learn why using chemical-based drain cleaners may not be good for your drains in our article ‘Top 6 Natural Remedies for Unblocking Drains‘, and learn what to look for when conducting a maintenance inspection in ‘Signs of a blocked drain‘.
Finally, if you continue to experience blockages, call The Relining Company for professional drain cleaning services and camera inspections to find the cause.
Blocked Drains? Try a State-of-the-Art Pipe Repair Solution
With regular maintenance and inspections, you can avoid the debris build-up that causes plumbing to deteriorate. However, some plumbing problems such as tree roots and ageing pipes can’t be fixed with maintenance alone.
While regular plumbers only offer expensive and messy pipe replacements, pipe relining can fix blocked drains for good and return plumbing to better-than-original condition!
You can expect high-quality service and an affordable, mess-free solution to fix your blocked drains forever when you get in touch with Sydney’s most trusted pipe relining service, The Relining Company.
Call us on 0488 885 166 for a free pipe relining consultation today.
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