YOU might be spending hundreds of pounds unnecessarily in kitchen repair costs every year.
But it could all be easily avoided – plumbing expert at FM Serv Jordan Harrison explains exactly what to stop doing now and how you can save at least £180 on one repair.
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The cost of living is a burden to many vulnerable households, with the energy price cap fixed currently at £2,500.
And this year, average bills will increase further to £3,000 from April 2023.
You may be dreading affording extra costs other than essentials at this rate.
But you could be wasting at least £180 by calling a plumber for blocking your drain, which you could easily prevent yourself.
Here are two common mistakes which cause drain blockage, and how to avoid making them again.
Pouring oils down the sink
Jordan says fixing a blocked drain could cost from £180, depending on the state of it.
He says: “Depending on the location of the blockage, you could be paying at least £180 for a call out – and that’s if the blockage is easy to sort out.
“If the blockage is more difficult to find, it could result in areas of the floor or wall being cut out which could easily become much more expensive.”
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The most common cause of blockages in kitchen drains is cooking oil and fats because there’s potential for them to solidify and cling to the sides of pipes.
Make sure you know how to spot a blocked drain so you can stop it from getting worse.
Jordan says: “The main indicators of a blocked drain include water not flowing freely down the drain and gurgling noises that are usually accompanied by an unpleasant smell coming from the affected drain.
“Any of these signs can point towards a blockage, and homeowners should be aware before the issue becomes too bad for them to deal with themselves.”
You should also prevent any of the following items from being disposed of down the sink:
- rice
- chia seeds
- coffee grounds
He continues: “Rice, when wet, will swell up and clump together causing a blockage in your u-bend or drainpipe.
“Chia seeds and coffee grounds expand and can cause this same problem because they don’t break down in water like other waste.”
Equipment to unblock it yourself
Usually, unless it gets really bad, you won’t need to splash the cash for a plumber to come out and unblock your sink.
All you need normally is a drain rod, which can cost as little as £3.80 from Amazon.
You’ll just need to apply it down the sink, add a bit of pressure and shift the rod around the blockage until it’s removed.
It’s important not to press too hard in case you damage the drain, but it shouldn’t be difficult to do yourself.
If you do order a drain rod home, don’t forget added delivery costs.
And always shop around to find the cheapest deal – you can use tools like Google Shopping to help compare prices.
It’s worth visiting your local hardware store to ask if they have anything similar.
You can also buy a waste disposal bag which can fit right under the sink to collect any waste that escapes down the drain.
Jordan says: “The best thing to do is take steps to prevent blockages like buying a waste strainer that sits over the plug hole to catch any waste.
“Make sure you scrape all food off your plate into the bin before washing it to avoid a build up in the drain.”
Does drain blockage affect my water bill?
While a blocked drain shouldn’t affect your water bill costs, it may cause significant damage and require a plumber to be called out.
And it won’t be on your provider to help out either – according to Thames Water, property owners are responsible for the pipes in the homes and the ones connecting to the sewers.
It will only be your provider’s issue to sort if the problem is outside your property boundary or there’s more than one property with the issue.
Jordan adds: “Blocked drains will not necessarily affect your water bills as you are likely to be running less water due to the blockage causing a backlog and preventing water from passing down the drain as normal.
“However, you will be spending money on plumber callouts to help identify and fix the blockage as typically water companies will not offer callouts or any help toward this.
“So, whilst blocked drains wont directly affect your water bills, you will still be potentially losing money.”
More ways to save money in the kitchen
There are a few kitchen appliances to watch out for which can soak up the cash if you’re not careful, like the oven.
But there are always alternatives ways to use an appliance in order to cut costs.
For example, a slow cooker, which costs roughly 92p for eight hours, could save you money rather than using an oven.
In comparison, it costs roughly 71p for each hour your oven is on, so the slow cooker is roughly 60p cheaper per hour than an oven.
You can also try air fryers as an alternative, which cost 34p an hour, or even running a microwave will cost you around 5.7p per ten minutes of use.
Remember these costs will differ depending on your energy usage and model, but these alternatives should be cheaper on average.
This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk
