{"id":7589,"date":"2022-01-24T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-01-24T19:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.barronheating.com\/blog\/?p=7589"},"modified":"2025-04-24T12:11:02","modified_gmt":"2025-04-24T19:11:02","slug":"how-to-prevent-drain-clogs-and-when-to-call-our-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.barronheating.com\/blog\/how-to-prevent-drain-clogs-and-when-to-call-our-team\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Prevent Drain Clogs and When to Call Our Team"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image is-style-default\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-medium\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.barronheating.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/PlumbingWholeHomeInspection-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Senior woman washing dishes with daughter nearby, highlighting the need for drain cleaning services.\" class=\"wp-image-7568\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.barronheating.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/PlumbingWholeHomeInspection-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.barronheating.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/PlumbingWholeHomeInspection-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.barronheating.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/PlumbingWholeHomeInspection-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.barronheating.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/PlumbingWholeHomeInspection-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.barronheating.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/PlumbingWholeHomeInspection-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s our hope that you made it through the holiday season without any huge plumbing mishaps. After all, it\u2019s the most popular time of the year to need a plumber, whether it\u2019s for clogged plumbing in the kitchen or in the bathroom of your home. Water heaters tend to get a lot of wear this time of the year too, as homeowners tend to have more guests using their showers and such.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of course, the holiday season isn\u2019t the <em>only <\/em>time of the year you can have a plumbing problem, particularly a drain clog. In fact, this is one of the most common reasons homeowners call a plumber in our area\u2013and you <em>should <\/em>call a plumber!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s important that you not rely on store-bought drain cleaning chemicals when experiencing a clog, as these are very caustic and can actually do more harm than good for your plumbing system (more on this below). In the meantime, there are some things you can do to <em>prevent <\/em>drain clogs from forming, to begin with. If you\u2019re dealing with persistent slow drains, you may benefit from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.barronheating.com\/blog\/slow-sink-drain-cleaning-special\/\">a professional drain cleaning service<\/a> to restore proper flow and prevent further issues. Read on to learn more.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Use a Drain Cover to Block Debris<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The most common sources of drain clogs include hair, soap scum, and scaling from hard water minerals. In the kitchen sink it tends to be FOG (fats, oils, and grease), and anything that expands with water like pasta, rice, or coffee grounds.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Using a drain cover while you utilize these sinks, and then disposing of debris afterward, is key in protecting the drains and avoiding the need for unexpected drain cleaning.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Prevent Grease, Oil, and Fat from Clogging Drains<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As we just mentioned above, FOG stands for fats, oils, and grease\u2013byproducts of cooking. Homeowners often dump this down the kitchen sink drain without giving it much thought\u2013after all, it\u2019s a liquid, so shouldn\u2019t it just go down the drain?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The problem is, that FOG hardens as it cools, which can build up on the interior walls of your pipes. It\u2019s better to put the FOG in a disposable receptacle and throw it away once it cools and hardens.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Running hot water down your sink drains after use will help if some FOG does end up making its way down your kitchen sink drain.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Only Flush Toilet Paper\u2014Nothing Else!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You\u2019ll find that many products, like baby wipes, are marketed as \u201cflushable\u201d these days. The problem is, this is a bit of false advertising. They\u2019re intended to dissolve, but this doesn\u2019t always occur. So, the debris that gets flushed down gets stuck and lodged in the pipe, creating a stubborn clog.&nbsp;Regular <a href=\"https:\/\/www.barronheating.com\/blog\/how-regular-home-plumbing-inspections-prevent-expensive-plumbing-issues\/\">plumbing inspections<\/a> can help detect and prevent blockages before they turn into costly repairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When to Call the Pros for Drain Cleaning Help<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Professional drain cleaning is not only recommended for drain clogs that have already formed but to prevent drain clogs from happening to begin with.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We have the tools and experience needed to ensure your drains and the rest of your plumbing system are as healthy as possible.&nbsp;In many cases, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.barronheating.com\/blog\/why-professional-drain-cleaning-is-better-than-chemical-cleaners-and-uncloggers\/\">professional drain cleaning<\/a> is a safer and more effective alternative to chemical drain cleaners, helping to clear tough clogs without damaging your pipes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Contact<\/strong><a href=\"\/plumbing\/residential\/sump-pumps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong> Barron Plumbing<\/strong><\/a><strong> when you\u2019re looking for a plumber in Skagit or Whatcom County. We are your full-service HVAC, electrical &amp; plumbing contractor.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Our Mission: Improving Lives. Outside of Whatcom &amp; Skagit County plumbing service and installation, offerings vary by location. Call or visit our<\/strong><a href=\"\/service-area\/plumbing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong> city pages<\/strong><\/a><strong> for more details. We look forward to serving you!<\/strong><a href=\"\/service-area\/plumbing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong> Contact Barron Plumbing<\/strong><\/a><strong> today.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s our hope that you made it through the holiday season without any huge plumbing mishaps. After all, it\u2019s the most popular time of the year to need a plumber, whether it\u2019s for clogged plumbing in the kitchen or in the bathroom of your home. Water heaters tend to get a lot of wear this [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[81],"tags":[290,46,36],"class_list":["post-7589","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-plumbing-service","tag-bellingham","tag-drain-cleaning","tag-plumbing"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.barronheating.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7589","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.barronheating.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.barronheating.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.barronheating.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.barronheating.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7589"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.barronheating.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7589\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8242,"href":"https:\/\/www.barronheating.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7589\/revisions\/8242"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.barronheating.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7589"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.barronheating.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7589"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.barronheating.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7589"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}