Drains are essentials of every home and property. If you live in Exeter or within its environs, there could be instances where you might be faced with the issue of blocked drains. Without ensuring the correct actions are taken promptly, blocked drains could escalate to severe problems such as flooding, damages to your property, foul smell, and health hazards due to exposure to harmful bacteria. Therefore, it’s quite valuable to know how to handle such situations effectively. Here is the ultimate guide to handling blocked drains in Exeter.
First and foremost, let’s understand what causes a blocked drain. A variety of elements could be responsible for a blocked drain; common culprits include build-up of grease and fat, accumulation of hair, foreign materials such as sanitary items, and excessive toilet paper. Other elements could be external factors such as tree roots intruding drainage pipes or ground movement causing pipes to crack and collapse.
Now, what should you do when faced with a blocked drain? Here are the detailed steps:
1. Identification: The first action in handling blocked drains is by identifying the existence of a blockage. There might be tell-tale signs such as water draining slowly, unpleasant smell, gurgling noises from your drains or overflowing in extreme cases. Once these signs are noted, the next step would be identifying where the blockage is, in the home pipe system or in the sewer-drain.
2. Assessment: Once it’s clear that your drain is blocked, you should assess the severity of the blockage. Is it a total blockage or partially blocked? An entirely blocked drain will need immediate attention from a professional while a partially blocked drain might be sorted with DIY methods.
3. Clear the Blockage: If the blockage is not severe, you can use simple DIY methods such as plunging. For kitchen sinks or basins, a standard plunger can be used to relieve minor obstructions. For toilets, using a specialist toilet plunger is advised. For stubborn blockages, chemical drain cleaners might be effective but should be used sparingly due to their corrosiveness.
4. Seeking Professional Help: If DIY methods don’t work or the situation is too severe to handle yourself, it’s crucial to call a professional plumber. In Exeter, several reputable plumbing and drainage services come well equipped and are available round the clock to attend to such emergency situations.
5. Prevention: The best way to handle blocked drains is ideally to prevent them from happening. Regular cleaning and maintenance of your drainage system, making sure foreign objects don’t enter the drains, and dealing with minor issues before they evolve to severe ones can save you a lot of hassle and costs.
In conclusion, handling blocked drains in Exeter should no longer be grueling with this guide. Remember, it’s wise to deal with blockages as soon as they emerge, and if blocked drains exeter it’s beyond what you can handle, don’t hesitate to call a professional to prevent more severe damage. By keeping regular checks and maintenance, following the above prevention tips, you can keep your drains flowing smoothly for a long time.