Your kitchen and bathtub drains seem like a convenient way to dispose of liquids and other flushable materials, but you can save yourself a lot of trouble and some expensive plumbing repairs by being careful what you put down the drain. This goes double for homes that are on septic systems. These systems are meant to treat and dispose of household wastewaters, sewage, and small amounts of paper. Anything else can cause clogged drains that will require drain cleaning.
Avoid pouring any type of caustic chemicals down the drain. Small amounts of cleaning fluids are acceptable, pesticides, caustic chemicals, and chemical drain cleaners should be avoided. Also, don’t pour anything down the drain that can harden on the walls of the pipes. Over time, these materials will lead to clogs that can be particularly difficult to remove.
These fluids include paint, oil, grease, lard, butter or margine. In addition, some homeowners make a habit of flushing all sorts of solid materials down the drain. If you have a garbage disposal, this isn’t such a problem, but even with a garbage disposal solid materials will adhere to grease, oils, and other hardened fluids lining the walls of the pipe.
Even if you have a garbage disposal, it is good practice to avoid dumping coffee grounds and eggshells down the drain. These are notorious for adhering to pipe walls and forming clogs.
Finally, your toilets were designed to flush human waste and moderate amounts of toilet paper. Don’t use them to dispose of cat litter, feminine personal products, contraceptives, or diapers. All of these items can cause an expensive and messy clog.
