Stop the Clog

You know that sink you’ve been ignoring? The water that slowly starts to back up instead of drain? According to Murphy’s Law, that sink will become a major problem at the same time you have a house full of company for Christmas. But, chances are, if you address the problem now it might be a cheaper, easier fix. And you won’t have to deal with upset relatives either.

If you’ve noticed any of your sinks back up instead of drain when the water’s running, call your local plumber. You can find a reputable company through our Web site by just selecting your city and then typing in “plumber”.

Maybe you don’t currently have any plumbing issues though, and want to keep it that way. Here are some helpful tips for preventing clogged drains, from our TrustDALE-certified partner Phillip Maurici of The Clean Plumbers.

• Don’t put anything really stringy such as corn shucks, beet tops, artichokes, etc.  in the sink or garbage disposal.
• Also, don’t juice a bushel of oranges or anything similar and then try to dispose of them in the sink. The trash can is best for scraps.
• Don’t put grease in the sink. If you do though, don’t run hot water. The hot water temporarily dissolves the grease but as it goes down the drain pipe, because the pipe is cool under ground, the grease congeals and sticks to the side. Instead run cold water so the grease floats on top.