How to Identify and Fix a Clogged Pipe in Patchogue, NY

Imagine coming home from a lovely vacation only to find your basement has flooded from sewage backup. You can avoid this worst-case scenario by properly identifying and quickly reacting to serious warning signs of clogged pipes. Patchogue, NY homeowners, may notice some minor signs of plumbing issues but never think to do anything about them as they're only minor inconveniences.

If you’re tired of a slow-draining sink or want to fix it before it spirals out of control into a plumbing disaster, it might be time to search for Patchogue clogged pipe repair services from your local Patchogue plumber at Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Central Long Island. Clogs and blockages build up over time until they eventually cause enough problems that require your attention. Having a professional plumber service your pipes means it’ll solve your clog and help prevent future buildup.

Signs You May Have a Clogged Pipe

Patchogue, NY homeowners, can identify a clog in various ways. Sometimes it's easy and simple; other times, it's challenging. When trying to verify if your pipe is clogged, we recommend cross-referencing the symptoms you're experiencing with the six listed below. When in doubt, we recommend a site visit from our plumbing experts, who are trained to properly diagnose your problem and give you peace of mind about your plumbing system.

Changes in Water Pressure, Water Flow, or Water Level

The speed of water flow can be slowed or increased with a clogged pipe. Patchogue, NY residents, will notice that a blockage will cause a slower speed while cracking or breaking in the water line. This allows the water to easily escape, resulting in a faster flow. If your toilet's water level is lower than usual, it could also indicate something is wrong. Changes in water pressure are noticeable warning signs, such as showers being heavily impacted by reduced pressure or flow. Sometimes, the amount of hot water is also reduced, but it's worth investigating your hot water heater as well.

Water Backs up in Odd Places

Strange gurgling noises from nearby fixtures when using a different fixture is a warning sign for Patchogue clogged pipes. If your tub drain starts making weird noises when you flush your toilet, it could be indicating a clog. Any bathroom fixture or drains being impacted by your washing machine could also be a sign.

A Weird Smell is Emerging

Foul sewer gas is a warning sign of clogged drains. With a stubborn clog, anything flushed down a drain will attach to the clog, including food, hair, and debris, and will begin to smell as it decomposes. This foul odor is spread in the openings of the pipes, making your Patchogue home uncomfortable.

Fixtures Taking Too Long to Drain

Does your bathroom sink or shower drain take longer to drain despite no changes? Water should go down the shower or sink drains quickly and not take more than a few seconds. If it takes longer, this is an indication that you may be experiencing a clogged pipe. Patchogue, NY residents, may pick up on drains draining at different speeds, which already indicates a blockage in the making.

Sewage Backup

Sewage waste backing up into your fixtures or floor drain is the most alarming of all these warning signs. If you're noticing your pipes backing up, call your Patchogue plumber ASAP to prevent this issue from getting worse or overflowing onto the floor or basement. Don't come home to a sewage leak; deal with it immediately. We also recommend calling the city to find out if the city sewer is the culprit rather than your own sewer drains.

Recurring Clogs

If you find yourself eliminating toilet clogs more often than not, or enough that you've noticed how often, it might be a sign of a deeper clogged pipe. Patchogue, NY homes that have blocked drain pipes could experience more serious problems. When you address this issue immediately, you could spend less time with the plunger and use less elbow grease. Remember that plunging and snaking could easily damage your toilet and call for toilet repair or replacement. A recurring clogged sink is also a nuisance that indicates an underlying problem.

Common Causes of Clogged Pipes

Kitchen greases: Fats, oils, and greases can cause big problems for your pipes. These stick to the inside of the pipes and grow as other passing substances attach to them to form a blob of blockage.
Improper bathroom disposal: Toilets are only made to dispose of wastewater, waste, and toilet paper. If someone in your household is flushing products such as feminine hygiene products, cotton swabs, or makeup wipes, it could be causing blockages in your pipes. Soap scum also sticks to walls over time and creates blockages.
Large trees growing in your yard: Is your house in Patchogue surrounded by large trees? Roots will search for water, and a leaky pipe can be a prime target to attack. These roots will eat through the pipe and begin slowly blocking the sewer line.
An old house: If your house in Patchogue is over 50 years old, it might be time to start looking for a new sewer line. Metal-based plumbing systems will rust and deteriorate over time depending on how well they're maintained; over time, they may erode or become cracked beyond the point of fixing.

How To Unclog Pipes

Is your pipe clogged? Our certified Patchogue plumbers use advanced technology to remove tough drain clogs from your plumbing system. If you don’t want to spend your weekend trying out various techniques to fix the clogged drain deep in the pipe, a professional Patchogue plumber will make that process a walk in the park.

Inspection diagnosis: First, to make sure the issue is correctly identified, a non-invasive, flexible plumbing camera is used. This shows us the problem within the pipe firsthand and lets us identify the severity of the problem and what is causing the buildup of debris. This will also reveal any other factors starting to build up in the line as well.
Sewer snakes, plungers, and augers: These are the most common tools used for unclogging blockages in pipes in Patchogue. For the most part, they’re easy enough that you can try your hand at removing the blockage yourself. Drain snakes are slightly limited by how long they are and their ability to push through blockages. Augers come in manual and powered varieties and can be a little more challenging to use properly. A licensed plumber in Patchogue can make quick work of anything blocking the line when using these tools and can save you time and elbow grease by performing the service for you.
Hydro Jetting: This revolutionary technology is the latest in effective blockage removal. This specialized form of drain cleaning utilizes pressurized water jets to blast away blockages and any grime lining inner pipe walls. It shoots water in multiple directions as it propels itself through waste lines. Our HydroScrub® Jetting systems are perfect for clogged pipes filled with severe blockages.
Enzymatic drain cleaners: One thing common among any plumbing professional is advising against using chemical drain cleaners. These toxic chemicals have been known to erode your pipes from the inside out over time. This causes more severe problems down the road. Our enzymatic products are a natural alternative to chemical liquid cleaners to dissolve grime and buildup in your pipes. These products utilize natural bacteria that feed on waste and are much safer for the environment and your pipes.

Benefits of Regular Maintenance

Regular pipe service and preventative maintenance have many benefits other than just unclogging your pipe in Patchogue, NY. Not waiting until your sewer drains are completely blocked before calling a service professional means cheaper servicing and less room for complications.

Skip unclogging visits: Having an annual pipe inspection and cleaning service will remove any grime buildup or blockages beginning to form. This means fewer blockages requiring professional removal and no big problems down the road. This also means fixed water pressure and regular water levels in your home. Schedule an appointment with your Patchogue plumber today!
Odor elimination: Rotten and foul odors are common symptoms of buildup in pipes. Having regular pipe cleaning maintenance will get rid of those odors as they’re blasted out. Don’t worry about needing an air freshener in your kitchen when guests are over to mask a bad smell.
Better pipe health with professional drain cleaning services: Having a Patchogue plumbing professional evaluate your pipes and provide drain cleaning services helps find and stop any problems building up before they happen. This means your system will always be in good health and means fewer costly repairs. A well-maintained pipe means a longer-lasting pipe as harmful buildup will be removed regularly.

Why Choose Mr. Rooter Plumbing in Patchogue, NY?

There’s a reason people choose us for their Patchogue clogged pipe issues. Our locally owned company and its skilled plumbers have had years of experience with plumbing repair emergencies and are committed to customer satisfaction. This extensive experience has made us experts at our craft and lets us solve your Patchogue clopped pipe problems efficiently and as quickly as possible.

With our services, you can count on:

Upfront, transparent prices based on our fixed rate
24/7 emergency services with no extra charge for calls outside of business hours or holidays
An answer to any question you may have and suggestions for future plumbing matters
Fully insured and licensed plumbers
Courteous, friendly professional service technicians
Safe, worry-free plumbing service with a parts and workmanship guarantee

Clogged Pipes – FAQs

To help you solve your Patchogue clogged pipe issues, we’ve compiled a list of answers to commonly asked questions we receive. If you have any questions not on this list, please contact your local Patchogue plumbing team to have one of our experts help you out.

How to Prevent Clogged Pipes in the First Place?

Blockages are caused by all sorts of things. This is because the only things meant to go down drain lines are wastewater, human waste, and toilet paper. Even toilet paper, when used in excessive amounts, can be detrimental to your pipes. Being careful of what goes down drains is the easiest way to prevent needing professional drain removal services in the future.

Materials and items to avoid:

Food scraps, especially stuff such as eggshells and coffee grounds, can turn into a sand-like substance, causing problems for your kitchen drains.
Tissues, paper towels, "flushable" wipes, newspaper, and excessive toilet paper.
Small items accidentally dropped down your kitchen sink or flushed down your toilet drains, such as small toys, bottle caps, razor blades, and fabric items such as napkins.
Feminine hygiene products that were flushed down the toilet.
Heavy rains can cause soil to shift, damaging buried sewer lines.
Vibrations from earth tremors or heavy construction nearby cause shifting soil.
Tree roots constricting the pipes
Kitchen fat, oil, and grease are the most likely substances to cause a blockage.

Are Home Remedies OK to Unclog My Pipe?

Some DIY experts suggest home remedies, such as vinegar and baking soda, for clearing clogs. This method is ineffective because to receive the desired outcome; they must be combined in an enclosed space. Your pipe is not very enclosed, and the combination will spread out and dissipate with no benefit. Dish soap is also a common suggestion as the soap has strong effects on kitchen grease, and grease is a common culprit for blockages. This fluid won't be able to remove the blockage as it will just become trapped by the clog as it's not strong enough to pass through. Other remedies, such as soda, will have worse results, and the sticky liquid will add to the blockage itself.

Can I Fix a Sewer Line Clog Myself?

While it’s possible to tackle a small sewer line clog yourself, oftentimes, the issue will lay deep within the pipe and may not be a simple drain snake fix. Broken pipes from shifting earth and tree roots that have made their home in pipes are just a few common reasons for deep blockages that you won’t be able to fix with DIY methods unless you own a septic tank whose drainage system you know inside out.

If it’s just a simple blockage, you may be able to fix it yourself but could run into some problems with the home remedies mentioned above. Using chemical solutions or acids can risk damaging your pipes from the inside and causing more harm than good down the road.

Do you have a Clogged Pipe? Patchogue Homeowners Are in Safe Hands with Mr. Rooter Plumbing!

If you have a Patchogue clogged pipe you need to deal with, have one of our skilled technicians from Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Central Long Island solve this problem for you. Book now to get a diagnostic service and upfront estimate for your Patchogue clogged pipe. Our services are available in many areas throughout Suffolk County and the surrounding area; we serve everywhere from East Patchogue, NY, to Holbrook, Ronkonkoma, and Bohemia.

Give us a call to book a service appointment or find out what our friendly customer service team can do for you to enhance your comfort and safety.