Regular maintenance is the best way to prevent drainage problems for your home or business, but it’s essential to do it correctly. Your drains can have an impact on the wider community. By using eco friendly drain maintenance methods, you’ll not only protect your property but also the surrounding area.
Strong chemical cleaners will do the trick if you have a tough blockage or nasty smell to deal with. However, these contain sulphuric acid or bleach, and, over time, these chemicals cause corrosion and rust.
This weakens the pipework, reduces water flow, and causes contamination. Eventually, the pipes will fail, and leaks are sure to follow – a health hazard for your home and the local wildlife if it gets into the river.
This can be avoided by using gentle, natural solutions.
Hot water: This dissolves soap scum and grease build-up. Done regularly, it can prevent it from forming in the first place.
Baking soda and vinegar: This mixture works well for minor blockages. When combined, the solution fizzes and breaks down blockages and debris. It’s also effective for general cleaning and removing unpleasant smells. Leave the solution for up to 30 minutes and then flush with hot water.
These eco friendly drain maintenance methods are gentle on your pipework and kinder to the environment as well.
A lot of household waste goes down the sink or the toilet. Cooking oil, coffee grounds, bits of food, sanitary products, and wet wipes – none of these should be disposed of in this way, even if some are labelled as ‘flushable’.
These items clump together to create blockages. Fats, oils, and grease are particularly damaging as they solidify and form giant fatbergs. This doesn’t just place strain on the pipes. If these items make it through the system without getting stuck, they can easily cause pollution in local rivers.
Discard oils and sanitary products with the general rubbish and put food in the recycling.
These are handy for the kitchen and bathroom. They catch oil, soap, hair, and stray bits of food – a simple and effective solution.
Bath, Bristol and the surrounding areas face unique problems. Outdoor drains in gardens and on driveways channel water directly into local rivers and streams. It bypasses sewage treatment systems, so any pollutants flow directly into the countryside. If you use chemical weed killers in your garden this will be devastating for the natural environment.
Eco-friendly drain maintenance commercial solutions are available, and these are safe for people and pets. Alternatively, you can make your own. A mixture of white vinegar and salt works well, although use it sparingly. It can damage surrounding plants, and you don’t want too much salt going into the soil.
You should also clear out drains and gutters regularly to avoid debris such as soil, leaves, and twigs from getting into the system and causing blockages. This is a particular hazard in Bath with its large numbers of mature trees.
Keep your drains and the surrounding area pollution-free with regular drain maintenance from your local experts at Mega Rod.
For all drainage issues in Bath and Bristol, call the experts at Mega Rod on 01225 422980
