As a homeowner, it is inevitable there will be some requirements for repairs from time to time.
You expect to have a faulty faucet or broken gutters; it’s life, isn't it? One of the biggest questions that most homeowners will ask themselves is what causes a shower drain to slow down and block up. It’s never pleasant to be stood in the shower and feel the basin fill up around your ankles. In fact, it’s downright uncomfortable. It’s even worse when you are standing in a wet room and the water isn't draining.
Understanding why it’s happening is so important. It’s not just fixing blocked drains and hoping it won’t come back, but if you know that your actions can make a difference to the health of your drains, wouldn't you want to fix it? Below, I’ve put together four common reasons you would be looking at a drain backing up over your feet.
Dead skin cells and hair clumps. It’s gross, but it happens. When you're busy exfoliating with a loofah, you don't consider the hair that’s also down there and how it builds up inside the pipes. When you shower, you also naturally shed your hair and all of this sticks to the walls of the pipes and the water eventually sits on top of it all, backing up through the drain. Almost everyone deals with a clogging like this and while you can have a plumber snake the drain for you, it’s important to clean it the best way that you can as often as you can - once a week is a good idea! You need to keep that shower from blocking up!
Soap and shower gel. Along with the hair and skin cells you’re washing down the drain, you have the soap scum and shower gel residue building up in the inside in the pipes. Over time, the scum deposits trap everything else. A few buckets of boiling water and bleach should help to clean it out but getting in a professional is a good idea if you don't know what to do about it all!
Hard water. There is a difference between soft water and hard water and your shower drain knows it. You need to ensure that hard water deposits are staying away from the walls of your shower drain. If you don't clean these away, the deposits are going to clog the drain and cause blockages. The best way to ensure that this doesn't happen is to use a water softening agent. This can help you to clean out the drain and avoid this problem happening to you over and over again.
A build up of rubbish. Believe it or not, so much rubbish can end up down the drain! Small lids, razor heads and even toothpaste caps can end up down the drain if you’re not careful. Make sure that you keep the drain cover over the top of the drain so that you don't have any worry about blockages.
It might seem like another chore to add to your cleaning list, but prevention can save you the cost of a plumber in the long run.
Hope this helps.
Tx
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