The main sewer line leading away from your home carries the cumulative waste and water from all your drains. What you place down the drains, as well as how you handle signs that something’s not right, can have swift consequences for your sewer line. Fortunately, it takes just a few simple steps to keep that main line flowing freely.

Choose Your Toilet Paper Carefully

Toilet paper is meant to dissolve in water and avoid clogging. But many brands of toilet paper don’t dissolve quickly enough. Look for brands whose paper dissolves soon after touching water. These brands are usually one-ply papers, but a few two-ply brands may also be acceptable.

Know What Can Safely Go Down the Toilet

Flushable wipes (despite the name), feminine products, facial tissues, and paper towels aren’t flushable. (Tissues and paper towels are meant to absorb water and hold together, rather than dissolving.) Nothing should go down the toilet drain except toilet paper and human waste. Even small bits of unacceptable items can become caught on the sides of the pipes, eventually trapping other items and forming a clog.

Don’t Put Oils, Fats, or Grease Down the Drain

Keep fats, oils, and grease out of your drains. This includes both food products in the kitchen and cosmetics in the bathroom. While you can’t stop every last bit of grease from heading into the drain, you can reduce the amounts by wiping off dishes and utensils before washing them and using bath and cosmetic products with a low proportion of oil-based ingredients.

Keep Hair out of the Drains

Place drain nets or guards over every drain opening, especially in the bathroom. Hair can quickly clog up drains because the strands catch on scale and biofilm that have built up inside the pipes. That includes the main sewer line pipe.

Strain Water From Handwashing Clothes

When you handwash clothing, bits of loose lint can come off the cloth. The lint can catch on scale and biofilm on the sides of the pipe, contributing to clogs. Drain water from handwashing clothes through a metal mesh strainer to catch the lint.

Don’t Ignore Minor Issues

Slow drains signal a partial clog in the drain, pipes or main sewer line. And if you see some unusually lush spots on your lawn or in your garden near the sewer line, call a plumber immediately. That’s a sign of a possible sewer leak.

Consider Drain Cleaning, Hydro Jetting, and Camera Inspections

Your main sewer line, as well as the pipes and drains in your home, need to be cleaned out regularly. Hydro jetting, which sends high-pressure water into the sewer line, blasts out loose items that might be clinging to the walls of the pipes. You may also want to arrange for camera inspections of the sewer line once in a while to ensure the pipe is still intact, especially as it ages.

Regular maintenance and prompt attention to problems are key to keeping the main line clear and flowing. For any and all sewer line issues in Oceano, CA, contact Sargent’s Plumbing and Heating.