Author: BDS One base Media

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]When you experience blocked drains, your first idea would be to use a drain cleaner, but is this the right idea?

There have been debates and theories about whether drain cleaners actually create more harm to the environment and drainage system rather than helping to assist and remove the drainage block, like they originally suggest.

To help bring light to the matter we have done our research and have written down all of the information you need to know about chemical drain cleaners.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Do Chemical Drain Cleaners Work?

From the shop’s own brand, to the highly rated and advertised brands, there are plenty of chemical drainage cleaner options to choose from, but should they really be your first choice when you come across a blocked drain?

If you ask around different plumbing companies, they will generally vote against the use of do it yourself drain cleaners. This is not because the plumbers want you to spend money on them, but due to the fact that the drain cleaner chemicals can cause more problems than you probably realise, which ultimately means you will be spending more money and it will take more time to fix the problem.

Need help unblocking your drain? Speak to an expert now:

08081 689 112

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Do Chemical Drain Cleaners Damage Pipes?

While the damage might not be noticeable straight away, the use of drain cleaner chemicals over time will gradually build up causing problems.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Will Chemical Drain Cleaner Dissolve Plastic?

Many people ask the question “will drain cleaner damage pipes?”

In some cases drain cleaner liquid can melt plastic drainage pipes. Meanwhile, metal pipes can gradually corrode with the constant use of chemical drain cleaner.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Can Chemical Drain Cleaner be Used in Toilets?

Another common question we get asked is “can you use drain cleaner in a toilet?”

You should never attempt to fix a toilet blockage with a drain cleaner unblocker due to a number of reasons.

Not only can the chemicals last in the toilet tank for long after the liquid drain cleaner was used, but the chemicals can attach themselves to the porcelain, which can cause it to heat up and crack.

Meanwhile, the process of flushing the toilet can cause the liquid chemical drain cleaners to splash up at you.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Chemical Drain Cleaner Fumes

Another problem that you can come across when using a chemical drain cleaner, is that being around or inhaling drain cleaner fumes can irritate your nose and eyes.

Chemical drain cleaner fumes are not healthy to breathe in and they linger for a while around the location where the cleaner was used.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Chemical Drain Cleaners are Harmful to the Environment

The chemicals contained in drain cleaners are also harmful to the environment and are capable of poisoning the wildlife.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

The Root Cause of the Problem

Before you go and buy a chemical drain cleaner, are you sure you are even experiencing a clogged drain? The reason for your drainage issue could ultimately be due to the drainage pipe being damaged.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

What to do if Chemical Drain Cleaner Doesn’t Work

When chemical drain cleaners don’t work, there is no need to panic, you can still try a homemade sink unblocker.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]If everything else fails, and your drains are still blocked, why not give us a call today on 08081 689 112 (FREE phone – CLICK TO CALL).[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Are you 100% sure you know what you can and can’t flush away?

In our daily lives, we don’t take much notice of what we wash down the plug hole or flush down the toilet. However, due to the importance of the topic on sewer blockages and pipe blockages, we have created this post in order to help our customers avoid future blockages in their household.

There are many campaigns going around, here are a few that you may have heard of:

• Bin it don’t flush it
• Bin it don’t block it
• Bag it and bit it

The problem is, with us not knowing the dos and don’ts of what we can and can’t flush away, or simply being too lazy and not taking the extra care and time that we could, sewage and pipe blockages are becoming a bigger and bigger problem.

Each and every year there are 6.7 million drain blockages and that is only in the UK!

It is important to remind ourselves that by simply changing our actions, this figure could go down.

What Not To Wash Down Your Kitchen Sink

• Fat
• Oil
• Grease

While in a hot liquid form these may not seem all that harmful, when they have cooled down they solidify and attach themselves to the pipework. This leads on to objects that get washed down the toilet and sink, attaching themselves to the fats and grease creating a bigger and bigger blockage, which eventually stops the flow of sewage.

Need help unblocking your drain? Speak to an expert now:

08081 689 112

If you are unsure of how to store this liquid, then collect it up in a container, so that later on you can put it in a food bag.

What Not To Flush Down the Toilet

We all know that the three things that can be flushed down the toilet is pee, poo and toilet paper.

Meanwhile, here is a list of the main objects that you should avoid flushing down the toilet:

• Toys
• Food
• Nappies
• Sanitary items
• Cotton wool
• Wet wipes
• Kitchen roll

Many people are probably wondering “can you flush baby wipes?” but even wet wipes that are apparently flushable, should not be flushed down the toilet due to them taking years to break down.

Save Money

By simply putting a bin in the bathroom and having a food bin set up in your kitchen, can help prevent you from flushing non-flushable items while also making your life a lot easier.
Another advantage of doing this, is that it is a great way to save money since you are avoiding the risk of a blockage – it could cost as much as £200 to get a plumber to unclog your pipes.

Environmentally Friendly

Remind yourself of the good you are doing by helping the environment. Putting the right waste in the right place helps to lessen the chances of sewage blockages, therefore helping to avoid water pollution. This not only makes your life easier, but also the plumbers lives. Together we can create a clean and tidy environment for the future generations.
Help us avoid environment abuse.

Nothing is more annoying than finding split pipes, which is why we are here with our tips to prevent frozen pipes.

December is such a costly time with Christmas and heating bills, that having to pay out for plumbers to fix you pipe work is the last thing you need.

Check Those Leaky Pipes

Before the weather turns too cold, it is important to go round checking for damaged or leaking pipes:

• Outside pipes
• Pipes in the garage
• Pipes in the attic
• Pipes from sinks that lead outside

All of these pipes run the easy risk of freezing in the chilly weather, which is why you need to check them all to prevent frozen pipes in winter.

Need help with frozen pipes? Speak to an expert now:

08081 689 112

Frozen Pipes Burst

When your water pipes get cold, any water inside of them will freeze and expand, running the risk of breaking your pipe or splitting it. This can lead onto flooding and water damage to your property. Get creative with DIY to prevent frozen pipes.

Insulating Your Pipes

There are a number of methods to prevent frozen water pipes when preparing for winter.

Foam insulation

Using foam insulation is one of the most well-known ways to help insulate your pipes, along with being one of the quickest and easiest methods.

Heating tape

Electrical heating cable or heating tape, can be extremely beneficial for preventing frozen pipes, in particular, water pipes and pipes outside your house. Heating tape will work on both plastic pipes and metal pipes.

Keep the doors open

It is important to get the air circulating around the house, as this helps to prevent frozen pipes at home that are tucked away.

Whether the pipes are enclosed in a cupboard under the sink, or hidden behind doors under the stairs, keep the doors open so that the pipes can also benefit from the warm air.

Drain water

It is important to remember to drain the water from any garden equipment such as the garden hose, water sprinkler, even the swimming pool.

The problem with water, is when it freezes it will expand and is likely to damage items like hoses, meaning that you will have to buy one the following year. Save yourself the money, drain the water from these items and properly store them away for the sunny weather the following year.

Heating system

While this may be a costly solution, keeping your heating on during the day and at night, (even if you are away) will help to avoid your pipes from freezing. If they were to freeze and burst, then you could risk coming home to a water damaged property.

Regular Check

It is important to maintain a regular pipe check routine to ensure you don’t encounter any unexpected and costly problems in the future.

Despite insulating your pipes, there is still always the risk that they could freeze up.

Have you ever wondered what caused your blocked pipes or why there was recently blocked sewer drains?

While at the time, experiencing a blocked drainage pipe or sewer may be incredibly annoying, it is interesting to find out what caused the problem. Generally, it is because we have been flushing things down the toilet which should not be flushed, however, many strange things have been found in drains and sewer systems.

While there are many causes of blocked sewers, we are going to share with you stories on 5 strange things found in drains.

Alligator Found in Sewer

The stories about alligators in sewers is true in Tampa, Florida’s sewers!

An alligator 14ft in length has been found in a sewer in Tampa – unsurprising to hear that the workers of that sewer got quite a bit of a scare!

Florida usually finds a couple of alligators every year in their sewage system, one of the popular stories dating back to June 2016, with an 11ft decomposing alligator being found in a storm drain by some plumbers after several complaints were made about a bad smell.

Got something strange blocking your drain? Speak to an expert now:

08081 689 112

Gross Things Found in Sewers

You may have heard of the popular story back in November 2014 about London sewers blocked, which were causing big problems with the publics drainage system.

With the Thames Water blocked sewer services being called out, it was shocking to hear that down in London sewers was a 66ft fatburg. The fatburg created of faeces, sanitary products and wet wipes blocked sewers in Westminster.

People Found Living in Las Vegas Sewers

Welcome to the City of Las Vegas sewers. In this unbelievable story, we found that Las Vegas’ sewers have been transformed into an underground house, with around 1,000 people living in the sewers.

The homeless community have created a life for themselves living in the storm drain system. While they have made it a homely environment through collecting unwanted furniture to make it a comfier place to live, it is also an extremely dangerous location for them, considering the flash-floods that could potentially wash them away, along with it being extremely dark with barely any natural light.

Piranhas Found in Sewers

In April 2014, one of the weirdest things found in the sewers in the Midlands, was when residents noticed and complained about a fishy smell coming from the drains.

Lucky they had complained as it turned out there were 6 man-eating piranhas. While the 6 piranhas were found dead, the local residents feared the possibility that there could be more of them alive in the sewers.

Baby Found in Sewers

The strangest thing found in the sewer (while also being one of the most horrifying stories) was a baby who was left abandoned in a drain in Sydney not long after he was born. This occurred in March 2016 and the baby suffered from bleeding to the brain. He was luckily found by two cyclists five days later and appears to be in a healthy condition. The mother admitted she feared disapproval from her family, so left her baby son down a stormwater drain.

Despite what we may think about blocked toilets, it is not the end of the world.
There are many quick and easy ways to try to fix a clogged toilet yourself before you need to call out for help.

What are the Main Causes for a Blocked Toilet?

• Children flushing toys and food down the toilet
• Women flushing away feminine hygiene products.
• Too much tissue being flushed down.
• Nappies can cause immediate blockage and baby wipes after being built up over time can block the toilet.
• Items such as cotton wool pads which absorb water can also eventually cause a blockage.

How to Unclog a Toilet Without a Plunger

Unclogging a toilet can seem like a lot of hassle, but it doesn’t have to be if you know the right tricks.

If you don’t have a plunger, then another way to unclog a toilet would be through using a drain cleaning chemical. Pour the chemical down the toilet and after 15 minutes, anything blocking your toilet should have broken down.

You will know when it is working, due to the water level in the toilet decreasing. When the water level is low, flush the toilet and it should be back in running order.

How to Plunge a Toilet

Are you unsure of how to unclog a toilet with a plunger? With our step-by-step instructions, there is no need to panic.

Need help unblocking your toilet? Speak to an expert now:

08081 689 112

Firstly, you must ensure your plunger has a fold out rubber cap that is specifically designed for the opening of the toilet trap.

Push the toilet plunger down, pushing firmly against the toilet trap, then pull it back without allowing the plunger to leave the trap.

Repeat this several times, making sure you apply the same amount of pressure when both pushing and pulling the plunger.

If it is working, the water level in the toilet will go down.

When the water level is low, flush the toilet. If you notice that the water takes a while to go down still, then use the plunger again. If there is still no improvement then use the toilet auger.

Toilet Auger

When all else fails, then it is time to use the toilet auger (otherwise known as a toilet snake).
What is an auger, you ask? An auger is shaped like a J and is made up of a cable and a handle.

Wondering how to use a toilet auger? Here’s how:

Firstly pull the handle out and put the tip of the toilet auger into the toilet trap.
Turning the handle, fully extend the cable down the trap to help budge any tough spots down the toilet’s u-trap.

After repeating this a few times you should gradually see the water level go down.
Once it is at a low level, reverse the handle, taking the auger out of the toilet, so that you can flush the toilet.

If all three of these methods failed to work, then it is time to call us to supply you with our blocked toilet repair and maintenance services.

Knowing how to unblock drains yourself is a handy tip to know, since it can save you money and is a problem that can happen extremely easily.

Blocked drains are a regular occurrence during autumn, due to leaves falling off the trees and blocking our drainage system, which is why we are offering you some quick and simple blocked drain solutions and advice.

What Equipment You Will Need:

• Protective glasses
• Rubber gloves
• Broom
• Screwdriver
• Drain rod
• Trowel
• Hose
• Kettle

Where is the Blockage?

The first important step to follow, before you can get started on any real work, is working out where the blockage is.

Blocked drains outside the house can be pretty easy to sort out, making drain cleaning services unnecessary. There are many common causes of blocked drains, one of the most obvious being outside drains blocked with mud, leaves, twigs and stones.

If you have a blocked drain then you are in luck as this will hopefully be a job you can do yourself. Firstly, clear any debris, sticks and twigs that are surrounding and covering the drain.

Need help unblocking your drain? Speak to an expert now:

08081 689 112

Remove the Gate Covering the Drain

Using the screwdriver, take the cover of the drain off. If you find any more twigs, sticks and debris inside, then use the trowel to scoop them all out.

How To Unblock a Drain

The blockage in your drain may not be all that obvious, which is why we use the drain rod to try to loosen any built up debris at the bottom of the of the drain. Don’t be afraid to apply a bit of pressure, but be careful not to apply too much in case you damage the drain.

How To Clean a Drain

Once you have finished using the drain rod to loosen the built up debris, scoop out what you can with the trowel, before rinsing the drain with a hose, to wash down any last bits of dirt.

How To Fix a Clogged Kitchen Drain

If your drain is one that comes from the kitchen, then it may be a good idea to rinse the drain with hot water from the kettle, after using the hose to wash it down. This will help to remove any fat and oil that could have built up around it.

Tidy Up

Now that your drain should be fully cleared and functioning properly, you can put the grate back on the drain (after giving it a clean from any dirt that may have built up on it) and sweep all of the leaves, twigs and debris away from the drain.

Drainage Problems Still Occurring?

Time will tell if your drainage system is functioning properly again, but if that didn’t work, then it is time to give us a call and we will send out our qualified plumbers to provide a thorough drain service to solve all of your drainage problems.

Winter is quickly approaching and as you can imagine, with the cold weather this can lead to many plumbing issues, which is why we are giving you some of our Autumn plumbing tips to avoid those costly bills over the Christmas break.

Pipe Thawing

One of the main tips we suggest is should your water pipes ever freeze up, do not use open flame appliances on the pipe, as this is an extremely common cause for home fires.

Pipe Repairs

As the saying goes, “A stitch in time can save nine” which is why we advise you to get any damaged pipes repaired sooner rather than later to save the risk of it being a much bigger job.

Circulation

Any pipes that you have under sinks or that are in cabinets beside an outside wall may be in need of circulation which is why simply opening the cabinet doors to let the air get through could help.

We also suggest opening up rooms with damp problems, keeping cupboard doors, windows and bedroom doors open, to dry the room out, or/and use a dehumidifier.

Heat Pipes

To help prevent the pipes from freezing up, we have a number of options to help with this problem:

Need help unblocking your drain? Speak to an expert now:

08081 689 112

• Use electrical heat tape round the pipes.
• Cover the pipes with foam insulation wraps.
• Place a small portable heater nearby, however should you use this option we deeply recommend you take consideration of the risk of a fire along with electrical hazards.
• Another suggestion is to leave your heating on a low setting while you are out of the house.

Autumn Waste

Over the Autumn months, we recommend you to keep an eye on your gutters and drains as they can be easily blocked with twigs, leaves and rubbish. Noticing the problem earlier on can save more problems later.

Valves

For any houses with interior shut off valves, which are connected to outdoor faucets, we recommend before the winter weather kicks in that you close and drain them as any water that is still in the lines, could cause major damage if it freezes.

Sump Pump

One of the biggest problems that could happen is when your sump pump malfunctions. When this happens it causes a major water leak and your basement floods.

To avoid this costly and unnecessary scenario from happening before the winter weather arrives take a look and clean out your sump pump.

Water Heater

An important job to always remember, is to drain your water heater. It no doubt can easily be forgotten, but we need to remind ourselves of how easy it is for the water heater to get rust inside which can quickly develop. Should this happen, then the rust will quickly contaminate the water that we’re not only washing ourselves in, but that we also use when cooking and drinking.

Another option, is should your water heater already be old or rusty, then now is the perfect time to get a new one fitted.

Hoses

A job easy to neglect is disconnecting the garden hose. It is easy to forget, as we abandon to go into the garden much in the chilly months ahead, but like all of the jobs on this page, it is still important. Should you fail to remember this simple task then any remaining water inside will freeze also causing the faucets and pipes in you home to freeze which means you will have a much bigger and pricey job to fix in the future. So don’t forget to disconnect that hose!

Drip, Drip, Drip

Leaky faucets are one of those annoying things that we can never be bothered to fix, but we all know we really should, which is why we are reminding you. It is another pipe related job that is better to fix now rather than when it gets colder and the pipes risk freezing. They are a really simple job to fix – if you don’t know how to then a friend or family member is bound to know.

Those were our Autumn plumbing tips to prepare your plumbing for the winter months. If for any reason you face any kind of problem BDS emergency plumbers are here to help you 24 / 7.