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Kitchen and Bathroom drain back-ups. They sneak up on us, at any given time and can affect ANYONE. Whenever a drain back-up happens, a plumber must be dispatched to alleviate the issue. Along with the cost of an experienced technician, the damage by the back-up can be wide ranging and can affect multiple residents. Drain back-ups are not always the responsibility of the condo corporation or the Board of Directors. If the back-up occurs in the piping within your unit, you may be responsible. Who can help you with any of your drain, plumbing, and HVAC issues? We here at Reggin Technical Services (http://www.reggin.ca/) are here to help you in any way we can and have over 85 years of industry experience making sure our clients are taken care of. Below we have outlined the ways to protect yourself from a drain back-up.

Kitchen vs Bathroom Drainage, what’s the difference?

  1. Kitchen Drainage
  2. Bathroom Drainage

Kitchen Drainage

Kitchen drainage is everything that is inclusive of your kitchen area that drains into your p-trap under your sink and attaches to the kitchen stack of the building. There is lots to consider here:

Grease

Grease is the number one culprit of slow-drains and drain back-ups in any kitchen drainage system. Grease is inclusive of fat from proteins (think bacon grease), cooking oil and even viscous liquids (syrups, etc.). These cannot go down the drain by any means and must composted/thrown away. Although the grease looks fluid when you dump them, it will harden into a blockage once they cool down.

Dishwasher

Dishwashers may not be an actual contributor to back-ups, but if you set your dishwasher to operate and there is a blockage in the drainage piping, it will cause a back-up as the dishwasher does not know any better and will drain continually until the cycle is complete. If you own a dishwasher, always verify the drainage is working before operating it.

Garburators

Garburators are extremely handy to own, however they are a major contributor to drain back-ups. The garburator uses two macerating hammers to break up the food into smaller pieces, but sometimes that food can collect on the inside wall of the piping and eventually cause a back-up. It is not uncommon to see garburators removed from condo buildings due to this. 

Bathroom Drainage

Bathroom drainage is exactly what it sounds like – everything in the bathroom. This is usually a three-piece installation with a lavatory sink, a water closet (toilet) and a shower.

Lavatory Sink

The main cause of a lavatory back-up is hair and does not usually happen any further than the units close piping. This caused by long hair and shaving. Whenever you are using the sink to shave or if you have long hair that you are combing, cover the drain. Once done, use a microfiber cloth to pick-up the hair to prevent back-ups.

Toilet

Toilets are the main cause of bathroom stack back-ups. The stack refers to the vertical piping behind the wall that connects all the bathrooms. The main issues with this are not the design of the drainage, but what people are introducing to it. The rule to follow is:

Only three things can go in the toilet – #1, #2 and toilet paper.

Putting things such as: Feminine products, wet wipes and condoms will cause back-ups and the drainage is not designed for these items.

Shower

Similar to the lavatory sink, the shower back-up is typically caused by hair and is localized to just the one shower. A valuable thing for your shower is a hair collector over the drain. This will prevent back-ups from occurring and having a plumber come to clear the hair.

Notes from Magnum York: 

We want to say thank you to Reggin Technical Services Ltd for providing this useful information to our owners and residents. As a preferred vendor at Magnum York, we know our customers can always count on Reggin for their knowledge and professionalism.

If you ever experience a drain back-up, its best to get in touch with the team at Magnum York by submitting a service ticket

Review Magnum York emergency instructions to help you understand what to do in the event of an emergency at your property.


References


Read Magnum Yorks Coronavirus Pandemic Response: https://magnumyork.com/blog/coronavirus-2/

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