Plumbing and drain issues can arise at any time, and one of the most common problems most people experience is a clogged drain. You can sometimes fix this situation on your own. However, there are many times when you’ll need to have the drain professionally cleaned by a plumber. This article will explain the signs that indicate you should have your drain cleaned immediately.
1. Drain Is Completely Clogged
A sink or shower that is completely clogged and won’t drain at all or drains extremely slowly is an obvious sign that its pipe needs cleaning. A clogged shower normally indicates that there is a lot of hair stuck in the drain. You can often fix this issue by using pliers to pull out the hair or trying to remove the hair with a wire hanger. If your shower still won’t drain after taking this step, hiring a plumber to clean the drain with a pipe snake is always best.
A sink plunger is often an effective option for clearing a clogged drain in your kitchen or bathroom sink. If plunging the drain doesn’t fix the issue, contact one of our plumbers. Every professional plumber will tell you the same thing when it comes to clearing a clog with a chemical drain cleaner: never attempt it. All types of chemical drain cleaners are extremely harsh and can easily damage and corrode drain pipes. Some drain cleaners also produce a chemical reaction that creates extreme heat, which can warp or deform PVC drainpipes so that they start leaking. While drain cleaners can be effective, it simply isn’t worth the risk of using them and potentially causing major damage to your plumbing.
2. Drain Makes a Gurgling Sound
If a drain is only partially clogged, you will often hear a loud gurgling sound as the water slowly goes down the drain. This sound is a sign that you should have the drain professionally cleaned as soon as possible. You could try plunging the drain first, but a plunger usually isn’t effective at clearing partial clogs since there needs to be lots of standing water in the sink for it to work. Any time a drain is partially clogged, it is usually only a matter of time before it completely clogs up and will no longer drain. This means that it is best to be proactive and take care of the issue before it worsens and makes the sink unusable.
3. Toilet Flushes Slowly or Doesn’t Flush Fully
The drain trap inside a toilet and the drainpipe underneath it can easily get clogged if you try to flush too much toilet paper. Clogs can happen even more easily if you try to flush things like paper towels, cotton pads, wet wipes, feminine hygiene products, etc. While toilet paper breaks up into small pieces when flushed, these other items will mostly stay intact and can easily get stuck in the drain trap or pipe.
If you notice that your toilet suddenly flushes much slower than usual or everything doesn’t fully go down in one flush, it usually indicates that one of these two components is partially clogged with solid materials. It can also indicate that your main sewer line is partially clogged. However, in this situation, you’d usually have issues with every toilet as well as problems with all of your sinks draining slowly.
As with a clogged sink, using a plunger will often clear the clog and allow your toilet to work properly again. Still, there are times when solid materials can remain stuck in a toilet’s drain trap. If this is the case, they can only be removed by having a plumber clean the toilet with a pipe snake.
4. Toilet Starts Overflowing
A toilet that starts overflowing or looks like it’s about to overflow is almost certainly a situation where you’ll need the help of a plumber since this issue indicates that it is extremely clogged. If you’re worried that the toilet might overflow after you flush it, you should immediately close the valve on the water line next to it so that it doesn’t overflow. You can try to plunge it again, but this often won’t be effective.
Home Comfort Services has been serving residents of the Grand Junction area since 2016, and our team is ready to take care of all of your plumbing, heating and air conditioning needs. We specialize in drain and sewer cleaning as well as all types of plumbing repairs and installation services. Call Home Comfort Services today to schedule an appointment to have your drains cleaned or if you need any other plumbing or HVAC service.
