5 Things to Avoid Putting Down Your Drain

Fats, oils and grease

Cooking fat looks harmless when it is hot and liquid, but it sets hard as it cools inside your pipework. Over weeks and months it builds up in layers, narrowing the pipe until waste water can no longer pass through.

Pour used fat into a container and put it in the bin once it has solidified, rather than washing it down the sink.

Wet wipes and sanitary products

Even wipes labelled as flushable do not break down the way toilet paper does. They combine with fat and other debris to form the solid blockages our engineers regularly clear with high pressure jetting.

Sanitary items, cotton wool and nappies behave the same way and should always go in a bin rather than the toilet.

Coffee grounds and food scraps

Coffee grounds do not dissolve in water. They settle in bends and joints, gradually reducing the flow until the drain blocks completely, often at the worst possible moment.

Scrape food waste into the bin or a caddy before washing plates, and consider a sink strainer to catch scraps before they reach the pipe.

Hair

Hair binds with soap residue to create stubborn clumps in bathroom drains. A simple drain guard over the plughole catches most of it before it becomes a problem.

Building materials and garden debris

Plaster, cement, paint and soil should never go down a drain. They set hard inside the pipe and are among the most difficult blockages to shift without a CCTV drain survey to locate the exact spot.

• Fats, oils and grease
• Wet wipes and sanitary products
• Coffee grounds and food scraps
• Hair and soap scum
• Building materials and garden waste

If a blockage does build up

If your drains are already running slowly or backing up, do not wait for the problem to worsen. Rapid Drainage Services offers drain unblocking, high pressure jetting and 24 hour emergency call outs across London and Essex. Call us on 020 3488 6280 or email info@rdrainage.co.uk.