Your bathroom sink drain is a vital component of your everyday life. It is a part of many bathroom rituals — hair brushing, cosmetic application, teeth brushing, shaving, etc. — performed by your family members each and every day. A slow moving or backed up drain can present an annoying circumstance most often ending in a visit by your plumbing contractor. Learn the causes of a sink blockage so you can avoid them in the future.
Pop-up Drain Assembly
The most common cause of bathroom sink blockage is linked directly to the pop-up drain assembly. Although the drain pop-up is a convenient device that allows you to open and close the sink drain easily, it can also become a catchall for debris such as hair, nail clippings and bio slime.
P-trap Blockage
The P-trap is the curved section of pipe underneath your bathroom sink. Debris that makes it past the pop-up assembly can sometimes settle in the bottom of the trap. As time passes, the amount of debris can grow, resulting in a slow or clogged sink drain.
Sewer Line Blockage
Your home’s main sewer line function is to channel household waste out of your home and into the main sewer or septic tank. Several circumstances — tree roots, collapsed pipe or other obstructions — can cause your sewer line to drain slowly or not drain at all.
Preventive Measures
You can take steps to help your home’s bathroom drains and connecting sewer line flow freely. Avoid washing inert material into your sink drain. Although most folks brush their hair over the bathroom sink, eliminating this practice will reduce the amount of hair that goes down the sink drain. This will greatly reduce the chances of a pop-up assembly blockage. Keep cosmetic debris — powder, pencil shavings and cotton — out of the sink drain and flush only organic waste and bathroom tissue down the toilet to help avoid a main sewer line blockage.
To prevent the inconvenience of a sink or sewer line blockage, keep deep-rooted shrubs and trees away from your sewer line and/or septic tank areas. In addition, hire a professional plumbing contractor to perform routine drain and sewer line maintenance. These services would include disassembly and cleaning of bathroom and kitchen sink drains. In addition, an annual cleaning of your main sewer lines via hydro jetting will also help to keep them flowing freely.
For answers to your questions, contact The Pink Plumber today.
Image Source: Flickr
