Common reasons for a blocked drain

A blocked drain is a pain in the backside.  There is no such thing as a convenient blockage.

And while we are very good at unblocking a drain, knowing how drains get blocked can really help you to make sure the drain doesn’t get blocked in the first place.

So here is some of the top things that can cause a blocked drain so that you can try and ensure it doesn’t block yours.

1 – Body hair

Loose hair can easily be washed of our bodies as we have a bath or shower.  It binds with grease, bubbles etc to bond together and form blockages.  If you want to make sure you don’t get a blocked drain because of loose hairs then add a drain guard on your shower or bath sink hole.

2 – Soap

Traditional soap bars are made with fats (have you seen the movie Fight Club?).  The fats in the soap mix with the water to create soap scum which can clog bathroom drains. A way to avoid this is to switch the body gels though they do use a lot more plastic packaging which is not good for the environment.

3 – Food waste

Moving away from bathroom drains and into the kitchen, food waste should never go down the drain. Coffee grinds for example do not break down.  Other foods contain fats and oils, so a bit like the above soap, can create blockages.

4 – Toiler Paper

We don’t mean wet wipes etc.  We mean actual toilet paper.  Too much of it at one time can block your toilet and stop it from flushing.  A lot of the time, this can be fixed with a plunger but be cautious when using too much toilet paper.

5 – Tree roots

Across Glasgow, there are some very old trees (and a lot of new ones) with underground root networks that are constantly looking to expand.  So the drain pipe can be blocked because a root has entered the drain and grown and grown to block the whole thing.  We spend a lot of time fixing blocked drains because of tree roots and the size of some of the roots that we pull out are very impressive.

6 – Dirt

If you ever look at the inner curve of a river, you will see the smooth silt/dirt deposits caused by slower moving water.  All of that dirt has built up over time.  Now imaging washing some dirt off your clothes in the washing machine or a sink. The dirt goes into the drain and can begin to deposit and collect forming a blockage.

7 – Small things

This is a fairly broad category but long story short, small things can fall down the sink hole and get washed away.  Sometimes you are lucky and they make it all the way into the main sewer system.  Other times, you can catch them in the u-bend trap pipe. But other times, they get caught somewhere between the two and create a blockage.

In conclusion

Sometimes a blocked drain can be fixed by yourselves.  Other times you need a professional drainage contractor to help you.

Local, reliable blocked drain repair experts since 2006. At JSL, we have grown to become one of the top Glasgow drainage companies for workmanship, timekeeping, courtesy and tidiness.

With no call out charge and all our drainage work and parts guaranteed, our reputation and quality workmanship has seen us constantly grow through the years to become one of the leading drainage experts in Glasgow and the surrounding Towns and Villages to deal with your burst pipes and blocked drain emergencies.

Call us today for all your drainage needs.