Plumbing Tips – 5 Reasons Your Drains Are Blocking

Have you noticed a foul smell wafting up from the kitchen sink, or does your bathroom basin take an annoyingly long time to drain? In both cases, the most likely cause is a blocked drain.

Unfortunately, blocked drains don’t fix themselves, and they usually get worse, but what can cause them in the first place?

Your friendly Northern Beaches plumber, Chris Smith from Eze- Flow Plumbing has the following advice for why your drains may be blocked.

1. Foreign objects

Most blocked drains are caused by foreign objects getting trapped in the pipes, or a build-up of food deposits and fat over time. Once a small piece lodges in the pipe, it traps subsequent particles as they flow past. Eventually, a small piece of trapped debris grows into a foul, smelly lump that will ultimately block the drain completely.

2. Broken pipes

The ground where your pipes are installed can sometimes shift and put enough pressure on pipes that they crack under strain. Tree roots can also break through a pipe and create a blockage.

3. Badly installed plumbing

When there’s a property boom on, and houses are going up quickly, corners are cut, and mistakes are made. Sydney underwent a bit of a housing boom in the 2000s and plumbing is one area where construction companies love to cut corners. Misaligned and poorly constructed pipework can leak and compromise the surrounding earth. Eventually, the pipes can collapse and get blocked by the debris which falls through.

4. Not enough gravity

Drainage relies on gravity to get the water away quickly. If the pipes aren’t laid to the correct level, then the water flow won’t be sufficient to get any debris away. Particles and other bits of debris cause a build-up of sediment in the pipe that will eventually grow into a significant blockage.

5. Heavy rain and flash flooding

Heavy rains which result in flash flooding may exceed the pipe’s capacity to handle the excessive flow and cause breakages under pressure.

Ways to prevent blocked drains on the Northern Beaches

Not pouring fats, oils, and food wastes down the sink, or flushing away objects that have no place in the sewage system are good starts. Also, clearing away hair from the drains before it enters the pipe will help keep your wastewater flowing.

As with most things, regular inspection and maintenance can detect small, inexpensive problems before they grow into large, expensive ones. Even if you don’t yet have a problem, there could be one growing underneath your feet. Your Northern Beaches plumber can regularly inspect your pipes to ensure they are in good order.

If you’ve noticed the toilet behaving strangely when you flush, or the sink takes forever to drain, you may have a blockage that needs attention. Your blocked drain, Northern Beaches specialist, can get your water flowing again.