I’m a plumber and here are TWO common kitchen mistakes to avoid that could cost you £180 to fix

A plumber shared two common kitchen mistakes to avoid that could end up costing people almost £200 to fix. 

Experts from FM Serv Jordan Harrison claim that people are throwing money away unnecessarily amid the cost of living crisis when they can simply prevent blockages themselves.

Jordan, who collaborated with Toolstation for the investigation told The Sun: ‘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.’

Jordan emphasised that it is also essential that people know how to correctly spot a blocked drain to prevent it from getting worse. 

Here is how people can avoid making the two most common mistakes which cause drain blockage:

According to experts, the most frequent cause of blockages in drains is cooking oil and fats as they will often solidify and stick to the sides of pipes.

Other items which can cause terrible blockages are rice, chia seeds, and coffee grounds – this is because they will absorb water and stick together inside pipes. 

Another clever tip to prevent drain blockages is to buy waste disposal bags to place by the sink that can catch any food waste.  

The key signs of a blocked drain are unpleasant smells coming from the pipes and water not flowing freely down the drain, which is typically accompanied by gurgling noises.

Jordan added:  ‘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.’

How people can unblock drains themselves:

Amid the cost of living crisis where every penny matters, people will be glad to know that all it takes to unclog a sink is a drain rod, which can cost as little as £3.80 from Amazon.

However, people can also visit the local hardware store to ask if they have something similar.

The best method is to apply it down the drain, apply pressure and jig the rod around until the blockage is removed.

Experts caution that people should not press too hard in case the drain becomes damaged, but this should not be difficult to avoid.  

Does drain blockage affect water bills?

Jordan added: ‘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.’

While blocked drains will not directly affect the household water bills, by calling out for a plumber when the job can be done at home, people will potentially lose money.