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Four Most Common Kitchen Drain Culprits And How To Avoid Them

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Clogged kitchen drains might just seem like part of day-to-day life, but there some things that you can do to avoid this common occurrence. If you understand the most common culprits for drain clogging, you will be more likely to avoid these in your home. Here are four common kitchen drain clog culprits and how to avoid them.

1. Overusing the Garbage Disposal

While garbage disposals might tout that they can handle excess veggies and compost items, sometimes even the most powerful disposal can get overloaded. A good way to avoid garbage disposal clogs is to keep a drain catcher in the sink. You should also avoid putting items like eggshells and coffee grinds down the sink, which have a tendency to cause clogs. Sometimes garbage disposal clogs can be fixed with a plunger, but other times a plumber may have to take apart the disposal and get to the heart of the problem.

2. Grease Down the Drain

While grease is in a liquid state when hot, you might make the mistake of inadvertently pouring this down the drain. While you might be good at avoiding this with bacon grease, don't forget about vegetable or coconut oils used to fry with as well. Any type of oil or grease can slowly coat the sides of your pipes, causing slow draining and clogs.

3. Food Particles Down the Drain

Even if you don't have a garbage disposal, sometimes innocent looking pieces of food might slip by your drain catcher and end up causing clogs. Foods such as rice and pasta can expand over time, especially if these sneak down the drain before they are cooked, turning into larger masses in your pipes.

4. Recurring Drainage Problems

While many of the above problems can be solved with chemical drain cleaners, this doesn't always solve clogged drains. If you are stumped as to why your kitchen sink is always slow to drain, there may be something bigger going on with your kitchen plumbing. Having a plumber come out and troubleshoot might be your best option. If plumbing was installed incorrectly to begin with, you can have this finally fixed and start over again with kitchen plumbing that is optimized for daily use.

Kitchen sink problems can be annoying, but for the most part can be avoided by just being a little more conscientious while cooking and cleaning up. While most drain issues are easy to clear up, it is worth it to preemptively avoid these so small issues don't turn into bigger problems down the line. For more information, contact Boulet Sewer & Drain Ltd or a similar company.


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