It’s not as easy to spot a clogged drain as you might hope. People tend to identify a clog by water flow stopping and sinks backing up, but you may need a drain cleaning for reasons other than this one indication. You can notice several other signs warning that you have a clogged drain. Mr. Rooter Plumbing of mchenry strongly recommends contacting our expert drain cleaners to assess your problem and resolve it if any of the following signs occur with your home’s plumbing:
- Backed-up toilets
- Bad odors coming from drains
- Gurgling and slow-draining sinks
- Toilets making bubbling sounds
- Water puddles forming on floors around sinks, bathtubs, showers, and laundry appliances
What Drains Can I Find in My Home?
All your home’s drains function with the same responsibility and Mr. Rooter Plumbing of mchenry’s extensive expertise covers all issues impacting them. You can develop a drain clog because of various causes, so it typically takes a seasoned plumbing professional to determine the best solution. Below are a few drains you can find in a home and the reasons clogs form in them:
- Bathroom Drains – Hair, soap, and toothpaste are the most common causes of bathroom drain clogs. You can use simple drain covers on your drains to catch loose hairs washing out while you take a shower. Another excellent method is running hot water while brushing your teeth, ensuring toothpaste going down the drain doesn't harden in your pipes.
- Kitchen Drains –Oil, grease, and food bits are the main culprits clogging kitchen drains. When cleaning your kitchen after cooking and washing dishes, these elements flow into your sink’s drain. Particularly, oil and grease are very harmful since they stick inside your pipes and harden. While you can reduce your chance of a drain clog with garbage disposal, you should never wash specific foods and waste down your sink drains, such as bones, meat, and fibrous vegetables.
- Floor Drains – Dirt, dust, and leaves are typical materials clogging floor drains throughout your home. You commonly find these drains in basements, garages, and laundry rooms. A clog in your floor drain can escalate and cause floor damage. While you usually don’t see these drains daily, you should still perform regular cleaning to decrease your chance of them developing clogs.
Useful Tips to Fix a Clogged Drain
An excellent place to start when identifying a drain clog is determining if your sink drains properly. Mr. Rooter Plumbing of mchenry helps whenever you have a clogged drain and has provided a few simple methods to fix it:
- Prepare a pot or kettle of hot water as your sink drains if it still has water movement. Boiled water effectively clears drain clogs caused by built-up and hardened fats and oils. Carefully pour hot water down the drain after it’s drained most or all the water. You should also schedule routine inspections and cleanings to keep your pipes draining optimally.
- A plunger and drain snake are also simple and effective at getting rid of clogs. Sink plungers are easier to manage in a tight space because they’re smaller, so you to pull a clog close to your drain’s opening using one with little to no difficulty. Using a drain snake, you can follow plunging by pulling the obstructive waste out of your pipe. Your best choice is to throw away the clogging material in your trash and not let it flow back down your pipe.
- Your next wise step is to call a plumber if the other methods haven’t cleared your clogged drain. An average drain snake won’t pull out clogs deep in your pipe system, such as tree roots causing clogs by growing in your pipes. You need more extensive plumbing services to resolve this clog type.
