Your home is an incredible network of pipes, wires, and hidden electrical elements. In order to stay comfortable in your home, while enjoying modern amenities, you are going to have to get used to dealing with potential problems. If you live in a home where repairs come under your purview, you had better get used to dealing with potential clogs in your plumbing. While nobody wants to run into clogged pipes, the reality is that everyone will deal with them eventually. When they do, it’s important to schedule an inspection from a professional to get the problem fixed. Today, we are going to be discussing the different types of issues that you might run into as well as a few solutions to utilize when you do.
Locating Troublesome Drainage Clogs
If you are a homeowner or a responsible renter, you’ll eventually find yourself dealing with plumbing issues. No matter how well you maintain your home, you are going to eventually need to call in a drain cleaning service. Before you pick up the phone in order to call the pros at LBA Air Conditioning, Heating & Plumbing, you should have a foundation of information to work with. The vast majority of drain clogs are going to originate in your bathtub, your kitchen sink, or your bathroom sink. Food particulates, grease, and hair are by far the most common contaminants that cause clogged drains. While clogs can originate anywhere, for any reason, you’ll still want to know some telltale signs that you are dealing with a problem.
1) Water Backup – One of the simplest signs of a clogged drain is water or sewage backup. This happens when your drain has almost completely clogged, thus forcing sewage or water back up the pipe and into your home. This is one sign that you need to pick up the phone in order to call on a certified plumber. While this issue may not seem dire, it quickly could spiral out of control.
2) Gurgling Noises – If you hear gurgling noises coming from your drain, you might be dealing with a clog. Drains will emit gurgling noises whenever there is an obstruction within the plumbing. A clear set of pipes will allow water or waste to pass in a smooth, quiet, and effective manner. Gurgling noises indicate that there is an obstacle that the liquid is trying to navigate around. This obstacle could be food particulates, hair, grease, or even a root that broke into the plumbing.
3) Slow Drainage – If you notice that your shower is draining slowly, you almost certainly have an issue. While it will always take a little time for water to drain, it shouldn’t be a protracted process. If you notice that your bathtub or kitchen sink is taking forever to drain, this is almost concrete proof that you have a problem that needs fixing.
As you can see, there are many signs that might indicate a potential clog. While you can’t retroactively prevent a clogged drain, you can plan for the future. Take this moment as an opportunity to learn something. By installing drain guards, you can go a long way toward preventing future clogs. In fact, by following proper sink etiquette, you can make sure that plumbing stays in great shape for years to come. Proper sink etiquette involves properly dumping food, oil, and hair into the trash rather than your sink.
Hiring A Certified Plumber
Once you’ve noticed that your drains are clogged, you probably will want to get a respectable plumber on the line. While clogged drains are not the end of the world, they can certainly be problematic. Many people will instantly reach for a bottle of harsh chemicals in order to clear out their drain on their own. While this might work in certain situations, it is not a guarantee. In fact, you might be doing yourself a disservice by pursuing a remedy via this route.
A certified plumber can attend to your drainage problems relatively quickly. Licensed plumbers will use a variety of different tools and techniques in order to ensure that they are able to dislodge whatever obstruction is causing you misery. Some plumbers will use pipe snakes while others rely on chemicals. If you run into an obstruction that is too much for the typical tools to deal with, your plumber will walk you through alternative solutions. The most important thing to understand is that you should not leave these issues alone. Attending to a clogged drain sooner than later will lead to the best results.
