9 Things You Should Never Put Down Your Drains

• Date :Feb 15, 2019
• By : Freya Gay
• Comment :0 comment
• Category :Blocked Drains Essex

Whether you’re making a small quick snack or a huge feast for the whole family, when it comes to clean up, you’re going to make it easy on yourself and toss most of the food waste down the sink – especially when you’re doing the washing up. Unfortunately, this may not be the best idea, and doing this could cause you to run into all sorts of disgusting and smelly problems, some of them quite costly.

Here at Elliott Drainage, we have over 30 years of experience within the blocked drains industry. We can offer a 24/7 service with access to some of the latest and best technology on the market to help clear your drains. So, if you find yourself looking for a professional blocked drain clearance company in Essex, be sure to get in touch with us here at Elliott Drainage today on 01322 518271. In the meantime, be sure to read through our list of things you should never put down your drain.

Cooking Oil and Grease

We all enjoy fried food from time to time, but after you fry up, make sure to not pour the used oil down the sink. Grease and Cooking oil are the main culprits for causing fatbergs. A fatberg is a congealed mass of fat and grease, which has mixed with the moisture from your pipes. This can then solidify in your plumbing system and create a blockage. It can also, in very serious cases, can block the larger sewage systems – as the famous 2017 London Fatberg did. This fatberg weighed the same as 11 double-decker buses, stretched the length of two football pitches and was blocking a large section of London’s sewage network. It was a congealed mass of fat, wet wipes and nappies and it took two months to destroy it.

Bones

Bones, specifically from poultry, beef, pork and lamb are not safe to toss down the sink. Though, fish bones are perfectly fine to toss down the sink, as they will break down easily not cause a blockage. As a rule of thumb, anything bigger than a fish bone should be thrown away.

Pasta, Rice and Potato Peels

Starchy foods such as pasta, rice and potato peels will cause big trouble when they’re put down the sink, as they will effectively turn into a starchy goo inside your drain, which is very hard to pass once it’s down there.

Paper Towels

Paper towels are super absorbent, which is great if you’re cleaning up a mess, but that same absorbency means they’ll expand in your drain and clog it up.

Produce Stickers

The stickers you find on fruit such as apples and bananas are of course, sticky and will stick to the inside of your drains when they go down there. Though, if they don’t stick to your drains, they will be flushed out into the ocean which isn’t best for ocean wildlife!

Flour

When you mix flour and water, it’ll basically make a glue-like substance. So, when it gets poured down your sink, this wet flour will get stuck and then start to catch other bits of food, resulting in a clogged drain.

Old Medication

It may seem like an easy fix to just dump any leftover medication down the drain, but the water plants are unable to filter out all of the ibuprofen you’re not taking as it’s too small to catch. All that medication that is being dumped down the drain will more than likely end up in the natural waterways, which isn’t good for the environment.

Coffee Grains

Coffee grounds exist because they can’t make it through your coffee filter, so it’s pretty obvious that it has the potential to clog things up. Save your drain and toss them in the trash, or even the compost instead!

Egg Shells

Eggshells may seem fragile and that because they’re natural they’ll easily break down, but they can be really tough on your sink. Especially if you have a disposal system in your sink, then they can do some damage on the blades. Even if they do get ground up, they will create a load of granular waste that can end up accumulating with other bits of food and block your pipes.

Our Drain Cleaning Service In Essex

Found yourself with a blocked drain?

We offer fixed price quotes on our blocked drain services, so you do not have to worry about hidden fees or being charged more than you budgeted for. All our drain cleaning cost pricing is clearly set out, so you will know exactly what you will be paying for, with no nasty surprises. It’s so simple to request a quote, just simply fill in our quick quote form and you’re away!

Here at Elliott Drainage, we are experts in clearing blocked drains in Essex, with over 30 years of experience and knowledge in the liquid waste solutions industry. We are completely iSO 9001 and 14001 certified and continually strive to improve our service, to make our processes better for our customers. We aim to equip all of our trucks with the latest blockage clearing technology, to ensure a first-class service every time. We are proud to offer 24 hours a day service which means that we can be on hand in an instant to fix any drainage problems you are having.

So, if you’re looking for a trusted, reliable blocked drains service in and around Essex, look no further. Contact our team today on 01322 518271 for more information or to receive a free fixed quote or fill in our Quick Quote form. We’ll be more than happy to help.

Freya Gay

Freya works with the marketing team and helps to provide expert knowledge to past, present and future customers on a variety of Liquid Waste Removal Services.