What causes a blocked sewer pipe?

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A blocked sewer pipe is one of life’s many hassles. The bad thing about it is your life comes to a halt if your sink, bathtub, or any other type of drain gets blocked up. Although fixing it can be sometimes troubling it is much better to prevent it and allow people damage and abuse of their dreams without even knowing it. Here are some of the many things that can cause your sewer pipes to get backed up and how you can prevent it.

One of the many causes of backed up sewage lines is grease. If your kitchen sink is acting up and you don’t know why this might be one of the problems. Grease is left over animal fat that is left over from cooking. Most people don’t give this a second thought because the grease is in liquid form when they pour it down the sink. However, don’t forget that grease will harden up pretty quickly once it cools down. If you run cold water down after the grease when you dump it in it’s going to harden quickly and start to block your pipe. This grease is extremely hard to remove once it’s in there and usually only our plumbers will be able to get it out. You should always pour your grease in a separate container and dispose of it separately and make sure not to pour it down the drain.

Most people don’t think of this but trees can also affect your piping system. If you have any trees growing nearby your underground pipes they can easily break through and cause clogging. It’s hard to believe that wood could pierce clay or PVC pipe, but the very tips of roots are diamond strong and are meant to even go through concrete so you may have shrubbery and tree roots plugging up your pipes.

The one thing to remember is to be careful with unclogging your pipe system. It’s always better to use a snake than to use chemicals. Using cleaning chemicals to unclog the drain has a chance of hurting yourself and the environment. Pressure can build up in the pipes as you pour it down the drain and can cause a type of backwash or even create a harmful vapor. In the end a snake tool is more effective and safer. To be absolutely safe you should contact our qualified Calgary plumbing professional’s to fix your blocked pipe.

No one likes a blocked sewer pipe. So it’s best to nip this thing in the bud and try to prevent any blocked pipes rather than fix them after the problem has happened. Proper home maintenance is key to saving money on repairs and investing them in something more useful. Contact our plumbers if you have any more questions concerning your blocked sewer pipe’s.