The 5 Things That Are Blocking Your Drains

The water in the sink or the bathtub or the shower is not going down the drain, or is not going down the drain fast enough. You’ve got a clog in the drainpipe, but what?

There are many different ways you can end up with a clogged drain, and this is why there is no single solution you can use at home to solve the problem. A plunger can clear out some simple clogs. A hand-cranked drain-snake can take care of others. Chemical drain cleaners—are not good for anything except damaging the pipes, so please don’t use those. If you don’t know what’s clogged your drain and you can’t unclog it with the simple methods, it’s time to turn to plumbers in Peoria, AZ. We can find out the source of the problem and have your drain opened back up in no time at all.

But let’s get back to the original question: what’s clogging the drainpipe? Here are 5 common possibilities.

ONE: Hair tangles

This one is the bane of shower drains, and it’s rough. This is where people often make the big mistake of trying to use a chemical drain cleaner from the store to unclog the drain—and nothing happens, because those acidic chemicals can’t eat through a thick hair clot. We recommend all homeowners have special drain covers for the shower and bathtub drains to help keep as much hair as possible from going down them. When hair clogs stop up a drain, it usually takes plumbers with mechanical drain augers to fix the problem.

TWO: Soap scum

It’s hard to keep soap scum out of most sink, shower, and tub drains. It’s also difficult to remove soap scum, and a reaction with chemical drain cleaners can create corrosion in the drainpipes. Hydro-jetting can unclog soap scum, and we also recommend routine drain cleaning each year to keep the build-up from coming back.

THREE: Fats, oils, and grease

Collectively known as FOG, these are the major foes of the kitchen sink drain. It’s easy to mistake FOG for being harmless when its hot, because it’s in liquid form. But when cool, it turns into a waxy solid that will develop on drainpipe walls until almost anything can clog the drain. Hydro-jetting is the best way to get rid of FOG. Chemical drain cleaners are almost useless against it.

FOUR: Limescale from hardwater

If your house has hard water, the mineral deposits (limescale) along drainpipe walls will build up over the years until even small objects can clog the drains. Hydro-jetting is effective at removing scale, but if it is allowed to develop for too long, the pipes may need to be replaced. We also recommend having a water softener installed for the house to stop hard water issues.

FIVE: Sewer line troubles

This is a major problem that’s bigger than cleaning out a drain. If you notice more than one drain is clogged at the same time, call for our plumbers right away to see if you have a clog in the sewer line (such as root infiltration) or a broken sewer line.

The Trusted Plumber offers drain cleaning and other plumbing services to Glendale, AZ and the surrounding areas. Schedule service today.

This post first appeared on https://www.thetrustedplumber.com