Keep it Clear

by John Raabe

Drains continue to be an area of concern around the property. It seems like, lately, we have been receiving about two or three calls a week about drain concerns. Sometimes it’ s just a slow drain, but most the time it’ s because something has blocked the trunk line, causing a backup into a unit. As I have mentioned in previous communications, the drain lines are shared with the residents above and below your unit. Even the smallest things can get stuck to the walls of the pipes and start a buildup that eventually leads to a backup in your or another person's unit.

With Thanksgiving coming up, I wanted to remind residents that should be put never be put nothing solid (or down your sinks. down the drain even partly solid) Turkey bones should (and yes we have seen it); they can get lodged in the pipes, slowly accumulating other solid matter, causing a huge backup that is incredibly hard to clear. I have also seen plumbers clear out whole pipes full of grease. When you pour grease down the sink, it begins to cool as it runs down the pipe and then solidifies on the walls of the pipes and slowly causes a bottleneck in the pipe, which leads to a backup. These backups are extremely hard to clear, because the plumbers snakes just push into the grease and move through but the when they pull it out the hole just fills back in and continues to back up. Some other things that you might not think about but could cause a huge problem are: Greens, Celery Stalks, Nuts and Seeds, Coffee Grounds, Fats, Fruit Pits, Paper, Plastic, and Glass, Starchy Items (Rice, Potatoes, Pasta, etc.), Shells (Egg and shellfish), and Vegetable Peelings.

A sink backup on a normal day could be very rough, but just think if it happened over the holidays! It might be hard to get a plumber out, you could be out of town visiting family, or your guests could get a nasty surprise. Please be respectful of your neighbors and don't put anything down your drains that doesn't belong there.