Do you ever consider what happens to our household liquid after we pour it down the drain? Maybe not, but we really should consider what we put down our sink and wastepipes. Disposing of the wrong things down our drains could cause blockages, leaks, flooding and pollution. And it is us who’ll end up paying the bill to rectify these problems via our household water bills.
Pouring things like food waste, fats, oils and grease down our sinks, toilets and drains can cause serious problems for our drainage and sewerage system as it congeals to cause blockages and can even end up contaminating our local rivers.
The Slippery Stats:
- 55% of sewer flooding incidents in the UK are caused by blockages
- Every year more than 3,000 homes are flooded due to blockages in the drainage system
- Around 150,000 sewer blockages a year are caused by fats, oils and grease
- It costs about £15 million each year to clear blocked sewers
In case of an overflow or blockage disaster we’d recommend you hire a 24/7 emergency drain unblocking service. Having a dedicated drain cleaning team can not only unblock drains of unwanted debris, but also safely remove any unwanted stone, sludge and waste water and clean drains to deter future drainage problems.
Don’t Throw it Down the Pan
Regardless of what the product manufactures may print on the packaging, health and beauty products should not be disposed of down our toilets. They don’t break down in the same way toilet paper does, instead they gather together in our sewers to form blockages and will result in you needing to invest in drainage services. Therefore you should treat the vast majority of products as municipal solid waste, which means they need to go into the bin and not flushed away.
Our drainage pipes at home are just not designed to carry this type of waste. Even the smaller products, such as cotton buds, dental floss, medicine or razor blades, may pass through the pipes, but they will ultimately damage and pollute the environment that they may end up in.
Detecting that Blockage
You may be experiencing a blockage if you start to notice gurgles, slow water draining or bad smells coming from drains in your garden or house. If this is the case, you may require a visit from a wet waste specialist who provides drainage services, such as blocked drain jetting and clearances.
However, sometimes, it can be difficult for homeowners to determine the exact cause or where the household blockage or leak is actually coming from, therefore may require CCTV drain surveys.
The consequences of a blocked drain can be serious if you do not remove the obstruction, clean the drain or repair any defects. No one wants bad smells, a collapsed sewer pipe or a toilet overflowing, so make sure to maintain your drainage system correctly by following the top tips we’ve mentioned here.
