Tips to Keep Things Flowing

Prevent Clogs in Your Lateral
Dispose of cooking oils and grease in the garbage - not down the drain. Pour into a coffee can or similar container, allowing them to cool and solidify, and deposit in the trash. Do not dispose of coffee grounds or other heavy solids down the drain.

If you have large trees growing near your sewer lateral, you may want to use a root treatment periodically to make sure your lateral is not becoming blocked. Root treatment can be purchased at most hardware and home improvement stores.

Never allow diapers or pieces of fabric to be flushed down the drain.
Save your pipes, do not flush wipes. Even those labeled "flushable" have been found to cause back-ups in private sewer laterals and sanitary sewer mains.

Place food scraps in waste containers for disposal with solid waste, or start a compost pile for non meat food wastes.    

Low flow fixtures, such as toilets, that use less than 2 gallons per flush can present operational problems in your sewer lateral. This is especially true if the age of your home is greater than 25 years. Low flow fixtures are great for the environment in terms of conserving water; however, in some cases laterals will become blocked over time due to lack of proper flushing volume.

It is good practice to double flush your toilet once per day which will cause your lateral to be flushed out and eliminate debris build-up if you have low flow fixtures in your home.

           



grease2.png