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You find yourself standing in the kitchen doing the dishes after dinner. You remove the plug and expect to hear the pleasant sound of water spinning down the drain, but you get nothing but silence. Soon you hear the ominous gurgling noise coming from deep within the drain pipes, making you feel a sense of dread.
Most people think that blockages occur suddenly. In reality, blockages tend to build up silently over many months, sometimes even years.
This is the reality at Emergency Drains on a daily basis in Sydney. Right from the traditional homes close to the Sydney Harbour Bridge to the new apartments overlooking Bondi Beach, no property is safe. You might think that you are careful, but your daily routine silently blocks up your drain.
In case you are looking for reasons which cause blocked drains without notice, then you have come to the right place. Let’s look at the silent killers, one room at a time.
Kitchen sinks experience many challenges due to their heavy workload as the central area for preparing and cleaning meals. Due to this reason, they tend to face many clogging problems. This is because many things we flush into the pipes without much consideration become the source of the problem.
While most people tend not to dispose of their hot bacon fat directly down their drains, there is something far more insidious at play here. Grease and oil residues solidifying in pipes themselves can contribute significantly to these problems.
In the case when you clean your oily frying pan using warm water and detergent, the oil dissolves and is washed out from the pan. However, when this water enters the cold pipelines of your house, the fats become solid. As time passes, this garbage covers the interior surface of the pipeline and blocks the pipe.
While you may think that by scraping your plates into the garbage, all food particles are disposed of, some still find their way to the drain. While a few food particles may not be much of a problem, foods like pasta, rice, and potato peelings expand when they get wet. Coffee grinds are another common contributor.
Whereas the kitchen produces spoiled foods, the bathroom becomes an avenue for a procession of personal care items, which, when combined with water and hair, create a thick slurry that is difficult to clean up.
Hair loss while taking a shower is totally natural. Not so natural, however, is when that hair slips down your drain without you stopping it. Hair and soap scum in bathroom drains create an effective obstruction. Soap scum has a sticky quality that binds strands of hair into one large mass.
There is one very annoying marketing strategy that we should discuss. The question people always ask us is do flushable wipes cause blockages?’ And the answer is undoubtedly yes.
According to data collected by water authorities, wet wipes are the cause of the large majority of clogged sewers around the world. Unlike toilet paper, which disintegrates almost immediately once in contact with water, wet wipes are made from strong fibres that stay together for several hours, or even days. In that time, they get stuck on the rough surface of the pipes, eventually forming gigantic clogs called “fatbergs”. There is even an entire Wikipedia page about the harmful effects of such clogs at the Wikipedia page for Fatbergs.
The only items that one should flush in the toilet are the human waste and the standard toilet paper.
However, sometimes the problem is not because of what you have flushed down the drain. Nature also has its way of interfering with the infrastructure of your property.
Living in a lush suburban area in the North Shore or by the Blue Mountains requires you to keep yourself aware of the environment. The soil can become very dry, and the tree roots will make an attempt to find some water. Our biggest problem when dealing with trees that block drainage in Sydney is the roots of the tree.
The roots will detect the presence of moisture on the outside of the pipes and will find their way into the smallest gaps or weak points in the system. Once they are inside, they flourish in the water that contains nutrients.
Such a problem occurs most frequently in historic buildings. Very often we are requested to help unblock drains, which are located in old clay pipes. The difference between these and modern PVC pipes is that the latter tend to crack due to movements in the ground after several decades, thus offering an entry point for tree roots to grow into.
The second serious issue in the rainy season is that of poor drain layouts. In many instances, storm drains will have their pipes linked with sewer pipes, which is an offence in most countries. In case of excessive rainfall, there would be an overload on the sewer system, resulting in the backflow of untreated sewage in your house. What’s more, other external materials such as garbage may get washed into the sewers by heavy rains.
Ignoring a problem with a leaking sink might help you save some money in the short term, but it could end up being very costly for you in the long run. The buildup of water causes an increase in pressure within the pipes, and this pressure could lead to pipe bursts.
As per the plumbing facts worldwide, fixing a minor blockage before it becomes major will cost you a tiny part of what replacing an entire pipe or repairing the water damage will cost. The best thing that you should do once your plumbing system starts showing some signs of problems is to contact plumbing services.
To help you stay ahead of the game, we have put together a quick reference guide.
| Blockage Culprit | Location | Early Warning Sign | Prevention Tip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cooking Greases | Kitchen Sink | Gurgling sounds, slow draining | Pour fats into a jar, wipe pans before washing. |
| Hair & Soap Scum | Bathroom Shower/Bath | Water pooling around your feet | Install a cheap mesh drain catcher. |
| Flushable Wipes | Toilet | Toilet bowl fills high before slowly draining | Bin all wipes, sanitary products, and cotton buds. |
| Tree Roots | Underground Pipes | Multiple drains clogging at once, bad smells in the yard | Schedule a professional CCTV pipe inspection annually. |
| Clay Pipe Collapse | Older Properties | Damp patches on the lawn, sudden drop in water pressure | Have your pipes checked and consider trenchless relining. |
For those clogs that hold up the process, the first action that comes to mind is reaching for a bottle of drain cleaning chemicals. Though these chemicals may work to get rid of a hair clog temporarily, they cause destruction within your drainage system eventually.
The acids in these substances will cause the erosion of old PVC pipes as well as corroding the bonding mortar on the clay pipes. The other problem is that should the acid fail to remove the clog, you’ll be left with a sink filled with very dangerous water.
Instead of throwing money into temporary fixes, rely on our drain plumbing professionals. Here at Emergency Drains, we make use of cutting-edge technology like high-pressure water jetters and drain cameras. This will help us find out the exact reason behind your issue and unclog the pipe without damaging it.
Having to live in such a beautiful city certainly comes with its unique property characteristics. The sandy soils of the Northern Beaches move unlike the clay soils of the western regions, and this movement slowly moves back and forth, pulling at your pipes in the process.
Regardless of how careful you are about what you flush, movements in nature can cause the joints to become loose. Once they do, sediment is free to enter the pipes, and you will suddenly be faced with a structural clog.
Do not wait for your sewage system to fill up your driveway before investigating whether or not your pipes are out of place. Get total peace of mind with our accurate leak detection and structural analysis.
It all begins with knowing what lurks beneath the floor boards of your home. By being careful about what goes into your drains and by keeping an eye on the exterior of your home, you will be able to avoid plumbing problems.
But some clogs are not under your control. Whether there is tree root damage or your old pipes are no longer capable, you want a professional plumbing team that will not let you down. There should be no more of those slow drains or smelly toilets.
Should any of the warning signs discussed in this article be spotted, then it would be wise not to procrastinate. Get in touch with Emergency Drains for quality and long-lasting plumbing services. We can make sure your drains flow smoothly once more without the stress.
Contact us today to book a professional inspection and safeguard your home from silent plumbing disasters!
How much does it cost to clear a blocked drain in Sydney?
The cost varies according to the extent and location of the problem. The simple plunge will be inexpensive, but when there is significant tree root penetration requiring high-pressure jetting and camera work, then the cost will be more expensive.
Can I use chemical drain cleaners on old clay pipes?
Do not use any form of chemicals for an older pipe system by any means. The acidic nature of these products will deteriorate the joints and cause fragile clay pipes to crumble.
Are flushable wipes actually safe for Sydney sewers?
Absolutely not, as wipes do not dissolve in water as toilet paper does. Wipes have a tendency to stick to pipelines, get tangled with fats and result in expensive blockages.
How do I know if tree roots are blocking my pipes?
Look for warning signals such as draining problems of the sink in different areas of your home, bad smells from outside grates, as well as areas of your grass being particularly lush and green where the underground sewer lines are located.
Who is responsible for blocked drains on my property boundary?
Typically, the sewer lines up until the connection point with the Sydney Water system are the responsibility of the property owner.
