You inherit the last owner’s habits. Grease in the kitchen line, hair in the shower, wipes in the toilet that should never have been there. Old disposals jam constantly. Plunger first. A decent plunger beats most chemicals. A hand snake handles a lot of what’s left. Stay away from the heavy liquid openers, they’re hard on old pipes and nasty for whoever ends up working in that water later. Watch the pattern, though. One slow drain, that’s a clog. Several slow ones, gurgling toilets, a sewage smell out in the yard, that points to the main line. Roots love old pipes. If the house is older, get a camera put down the main sewer line early. Better to know now than find out when it comes up in the shower.
