You want your home to be an attractive place—for you, your family, and your guests. And there are few things less attractive in an otherwise well-ordered home than to see insects buzzing around a drain.
“Drain flies” are tiny flies only about an eighth of an inch long. They collect and breed down in drains among sewage deposits. They aren’t harmful, but you still don’t want them around. If you don’t do anything about drain flies, they’ll only multiply and make the problem worse.
Getting rid of drain flies
First, please don’t pull out a canister of bugspray and zap your drains with it. This will only kill the flies you see (and may not even do that, since some drain flies have developed resistance to standard store-bought pesticides) and won’t take care of where the larvae are located. Likewise, simply pouring drain cleaner down the affected drain isn’t a solution. These chemicals aren’t good for the drains as it is, and the drain flies often come right back.
There are some home remedies you can find online for eliminating drain flies, but we strongly recommend you arrange for professional plumbing in Burlington, VT to completely clean the drains. One of the major sources of drain flies is organic build-up along drainpipe walls. This organic waste is an ideal breeding ground for these flies, and the best way to completely remove the deposits is with high-end equipment. Only professional plumbers can use these drain-cleaning devices properly and safely. Once they’ve completed the drain cleaning, you should have drain flies gone for the long term. (Plus, the drains will be in generally good shape with little chance of clogs.)
Keeping drain flies away
Now that those pesky, ugly flies are gone, how can you help to ensure they don’t come back?
The best day-to-day technique to help keep them away is to treat your drains well. Don’t pour oils, fats, or grease down any of the kitchen drains, because this is one of the quickest ways to let organic build-up start again. With your garbage disposal, always be sure to run hot water down it when it runs and keep the water on for a short time after the food waste has been ground up; this helps to wash all deposits down the drain system so they won’t build up. You can also put a half-cup of baking soda down the drains and follow it up with warm water once a week.
We strongly recommend you schedule drain cleaning as a routine service during the year, rather than a reaction to drain flies or other drain emergencies. Annual drain cleaning will not only keep drain flies from coming back and make clogs almost non-existent, it will help your pipes enjoy a longer life.
Call us to solve your drain troubles
When you have an excellent plumber at your side, you’ll have few problems. Our plumbers can solve troubles and prevent them, and you can reach them 24 hours a day for emergency services.
Red Rock Mechanical, LLC serves Northwest Vermont and Northeast New York. Schedule drain cleaning or other plumbing services today.
