Spring is almost here. Most homeowners look forward to this time of year since the weather starts to improve. The daylight hours get longer, the temperature increases, and the sunshine brightens your mood. Indeed, most homeowners come out of hibernation and want to make renovations to their homes, as well as do some spring cleaning. After the long winter, there are things around the house that will need to be done.
One thing you might not have considered before is spring cleaning your drains. There are things you can do to your outside drains to make sure they are in working order. When you do maintain your drains, you can avoid blockages from happening later on. So, here are some spring cleaning tips for your drains that will help you prevent problems.
Outside Drains
Let’s talk about the outside drains. This is perhaps the place that most homeowners do not think about. While they are busy renovating their gardens during the spring, the drains are equally important. In fact, many say that the real spring cleaning starts with your outside drains. Here are some tips to get you started.
Remove Leaves and Debris
Over the winter, there is going to be a lot of leaves and debris lying around your property. This is particularly true if you have large trees in your garden or near your home. So, the first port of call is going to be removing all of those leaves. You want to make sure that they are not hanging around the drain, as they will eventually be swept into it, which might cause blockage problems.
You also want to remove debris lying around the drain. Often, sludge can hang around, and mulch forms after all of the bad weather. You can get this away with a pressure washer ad make sure that your drains are going to be free from any possible obstructions. Of course, make sure that you collect all the debris. You do not want it to move back to the drain.
Check for Smelly Drains
Something else you should do when the temperatures start to rise in the spring is to check for smelly drains. Stand around and make sure there is not an unpleasant odour. Often, homeowners do not realise there is a bad odour because of the winter months. They are not out of their houses, which means they miss this sign. Indeed, if you do have smelly drains, this can indicate there is a blockage. This could be in the process of forming, and if you are able to catch it early, you can prevent a lot of serious problems later on.
If you do discover smelly drains, you should act quickly. Namely, you will want to call a drainage company to take care of the problem. For example, FS Drainage is a reliable company offering their services in North West London and beyond. They have a professional team with the best technology and who are able to clear blockages quickly and efficiently. You should avoid trying to clear a blocked drain by yourself in case you damage the pipes. Instead, call this team, and they can do this for you without jeopardising your drainage system.
Examine Outside Pipes
Do you have any pipes you can see outside of your home? You will want to walk around your property and take a look at them. During the winter, there are often freezing temperatures, and this can cause issues with pipes. What’s more, there can be high winters that throw things around your property. Thus, you want to check all of the outside pipes you can see in order to spot any potential damage.
If you do see any damage to the pipes, you will want to act on this as soon as possible. This means getting them repaired. It might be possible to get them repaired if you act quickly. This can prevent them from having to get completely replaced if you take too long and the damage gets worse. Avoid putting off this task, as you might experience bigger problems later on if you do.
Cut Back Roots
You can be surprised at just how much plant roots can spread out and grow. This might be something you have lost track of in the last few months, but you will have to check this in the spring. This is when plants start to really grow since the temperatures are up and there is more sunshine. Indeed, problems can begin when it comes to roots.
In particular, roots might cause problems with your drains. They can cause damage, growing around and into the system. They can lead to damage to the pipes. In addition, roots are capable of causing blockages. These things get worse during the spring when they are actively growing again.
Therefore, make sure that you walk around your property and cut back any roots that are near the drainage system. They might not be a problem just now, but they can be in the future if they are nearby. Cutting them back will give you peace of mind. This is particularly true if they are from any plants that are fast-growing. So, this can include trees and hedging plants. It can be useful to look at the thickness of the roots too. The bigger the roots are, the more damage they are able to cause later.
