Barbara Kiteme

If you own a house or even if you rent an apartment, it is important to have some familiarity with your home’s plumbing and drains. That knowledge would include how your use of water can best be managed and provided with an appropriate outlet. In sum, we are talking about drainage systems, drainage products and drainage solutions to common problems with water.

Drainage Systems

Drains have the function of providing an exit and a channel for waste water and water that is to be recirculated. They are usually a component in a large drainage system which may be limited to your house or extended to your property, including yard and gardens. In order for the system to work well, it is necessary to have the proper fixtures, good construction and periodic maintenance.

Inside a home the drainage system includes a long inter-connected system of pipes that take the water from your kitchen and bath to the sewer system outside. From there it moves on to rivers or lakes. Only water should go down these drains. When other objects, large or small, get caught in the passageway a drain becomes clogged.

Drain Components

Appropriate drainage products are key to the basis for an effective drainage system. A shower drain is a fixture positioned between the shower itself and a drainage pipe that takes the water to the sewer system. That shower drain is actually an assemblage that includes a grid, a strainer, a vent and a trap. In both the kitchen and the bath, the waste water goes down a pipe with a “U” shape. That bend in the pipe is where clogging usually occurs. As water exits that pipe it is joined by water from the toilet before running on to the sewer.

Clearing a Clogged Drain

Drainage solutions to a clogged drain can be simple or more complicated. Homeowners or renters can often fix the simple problems. The most common items that clog pipes are food particles, grease and hair. Prevention can keep these incidents to a minimum. Always use a hair trap on sinks. Avoid rinsing plates over the kitchen sink drain. Find another place to discard grease.

If a household drain becomes clogged, it is often possible to use a natural cleaner that protects your pipes and the environment. Pour a handful of baking soda down the drain and then run hot water afterward. Vinegar and lemon juice that is allowed to sit in the drain for a short period is another solution. Hair removal preparations are often effective for hair clogs. Strong salt brine is a common solution for drains clogged with grease. This solution needs to be used regularly to be effective.

Avoid using stronger commercial solutions that may burn holes in your pipes, especially if they are plastic. If a clog is resistant to your efforts, call a licensed plumber. This step is important to unclog your pipes and to prevent odors from clogging.

Property Drainage

Homeowners with property to manage have additional drainage considerations. They will want to keep their grass, shrubs and gardens attractive, healthy and well irrigated. At the same time, they will want to keep water from flowing into or under their house. A residential landscape drainage system can provide the solution to both of these challenges.

Such a system will be carefully graded to drain water away from your house and away from any neighbors’ properties. It will consist of pipes, pipe couplings to connect the pipes, pipe anchors to keep the pipes on the slopes in place, and drainage gravel that serves as bedding for drain pipes and a draining material for perforated pipes. It may also include French drains, which are trenches filled with gravel.

This comprehensive network of devices, constructions, and materials can keep your house will drained and free of collecting wastewater and odors while irrigating your grounds and draining the excess properly. The result is protection and increased value for your house and property.