With winter finally breaking soon, it is time to do outside plumbing maintenance. How to maintain clean drains is very important. Just like the sewer for the house, the drain for the house can become clogged. If they are not taken care of through professional drain cleaning, problems can arise. Here are some tips on how to take care of them.
Helpful Tips and Good Maintenance
One tip to maintain a clean drain is to look for the drain that is close to the sewer connection. This is usually a sink, toilet, or bathtub. Learn where the plumbing is outside under the house. Even place labels to each pipe to know where each one leads. This will help if there was a future problem or a clog. Now, inspect the pipes that lead to each one. Is there anything growing around it like grass or weeds? Or things that are in the way of the plumbing if it’s all in the ground. This all needs to be cleared and maintained along with being accessible.
Now Turn off the house water, did anything come loose from winter in the plumbing? How do the seals look around the pipes? Unscrew a few of them and see if there is grease or slimy built up. All these need to have hot, hot water ran through them. Clear out any hair that is in the pipes and drains.
Use a drain snake to reach up or down in places to help push any nasty food that was stuck in the pipes or hair or anything else that can’t be reached. Use Liquid Plumber or Draino as a treatment. Use a treatment for the septic tank also.
Always check for water leaks. This is important as problems could start without even knowing it. Use a flashlight and watch and listen. If using city water, look around the meter. Make sure things are clear and not starting to clog up and check the valves or water turn off valves also.