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If you find yourself standing ankle-deep in dirty water at the end of your shower, or you cross your fingers when you flush the toilet, you're dealing with that all-too-common—but nonetheless extremely aggravating—problem of a clogged drain.
While sometimes you have a complete blockage and the fixture can't be used at all until it's repaired, more often the block is partial, and we just keep on using the fixture and getting more and more irritated every time it doesn't work properly. Either way, completely clogged or slow-draining drains can be a symptom of a much bigger problem, so it's important to the safety and stability of your house to get it taken care of before it gets worse.
You don't need to keep struggling with stubborn blockages that just won't come unclogged, or a drain that clogs often for seemingly no reason. Instead, have the plumbing professionals at Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Salem, OR handle it quickly and efficiently so you can enjoy using your home again. We're available 24/7 for emergency plumbing.
Our courteous plumbers have the experience and know-how to trace the problem to its root and eliminate it for good—not just apply a band-aid solution only to have your plumbing hardware act up again in a few months. We are proud to serve the greater Salem area and towns such as Keizer, Rickreall, Silverton, Stayton, Sublimity, Turner, and Dallas with quality drain cleaning services and superior customer service.
Disgusting drain clogs are a frustrating issue, but they can also be a serious sign of bigger trouble with plumbing systems. In this guide, we'll cover the symptoms of a drain clog and what causes them.
What Are the Signs of a Clogged Drain?
We all know the most obvious sign of a clogged drain: water won't go down. But, sometimes the signs that you've got a clog—or you will in the near future—are not as intuitive. Symptoms to look out for include:
Water backing up into the sink
Raw sewage backing up into low-lying fixtures like floor drains and the toilet bowl, shower, or bathtub
Strange noises coming from the drains, such as gurgling, bubbling, rasping, grinding, and squealing
Nasty odors coming from drains that smell like sewage, rotting food, or mildew
Weak or no water pressure in some or all fixtures
Leaks and drips
Toilet clogs frequently for no apparent reason
When you use one fixture, another reacts—for example, the toilet bubbles when you use the bathroom sink faucet
Slow-draining kitchen and bathroom drains
Only one fixture can drain water at a time
What Causes a Clogged Drain?
Clogs are usually one of those things where you either know exactly what caused it or you don't have any idea. The following are some of the most common reasons why drainpipes get clogs.
Something Went Down the Drain That Shouldn't Have
The list of things that can safely go into your plumbing system is pretty short. Toilets can handle water, human waste, and toilet paper. Sinks can take water, and if you have a garburator you can get away with some—not all—kinds of food. Soap and other sanitary liquids like shampoo actually aren't that great for your pipes, but they're unavoidable. And... that's pretty much it.
Anything else that disappears down your drains is a clog waiting to happen. Some of the many things Mr. Rooter plumbers have discovered in drainage pipes include:
Buildup of grease and fatty foods, such as bacon grease
A combination of hair and dead skin cells from shower drains
Q-Tips and cotton balls
Baby wipes
Feminine hygiene products
Small items like container caps and razor blades
Soap buildup
Toys
Trash
Motor oil
Personal items like watches
Cleaning chemicals
Fibrous food particles from the kitchen sink drain, such as egg shells, pasta, or rice
Clumps of dirt, grime, gunk, and other debris
Paper towels, tissues, and napkins
Fabric materials
Grease is definitely one of the worst offenders, because hot grease is a liquid and therefore looks like we should be able to get rid of it in the dishwasher or sink by chasing it with a little hot water. But, once inside your plumbing system, it solidifies into a mass that catches and holds anything that follows it down the pipe.
Tree Roots Have Intruded Into the Pipe
This happens more commonly than people think, especially in areas where homes are surrounded by trees. Even if you don't have any large trees on your actual property, trees that are a fair distance away can have surprisingly far-reaching roots.
Tree roots can wrap themselves so tightly around a pipe that, over time, the pressure from the growing roots cracks the pipe. They then creep tiny tendrils inside the pipe, where they begin to grow rapidly once they touch water. The pipe is not only damaged, but completely blocked off by the roots.
If you're dealing with tree root intrusion, there's no amount of plunging that will fix your drain—your pipes need to be replaced. But, if you're picturing a nightmare of ripped up lawn and holes in the walls, don't worry. Mr. Rooter uses trenchless pipe repair methods that, as the name would suggest, eliminate the need for costly, unattractive, and time-consuming trenches.
Degraded Pipes
Like anything else, pipes suffer from wear and tear over time. They can also be damaged by factors such as the freeze and thaw cycle, shifting and settling in the ground, or the overuse of harsh commercial drain cleaners—which can lead to frequent clogs in multiple fixtures throughout your home. Mr. Rooter can use video camera inspection technology to examine your pipes from the inside for any signs of damage.
Count on Mr. Rooter to Tackle Your Clogged Drain
Every plumbing system requires repairs and maintenance eventually, but that doesn't mean every homeowner is up to the task of coping with household drain clogs. The experts at Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Salem, OR have the tools and expertise to find the culprit that's blocking up your pipes and eliminate it, so you can have peace of mind in the future.
Give us a call today at 503-343-4685, or fill out our request job estimate form, and we'll show you why your neighbors consider us their number one choice for plumbing services!