Basements and garages often have floor drains that remove waste water from washing machines, air conditioners, or water heaters. They also help to collect water running off or your cars, such as melting snow. As we’re constantly walking over them, they typically go unnoticed. Until there’s a problem, that is. Because dirt, dust and debris often settle on the ground it’s quite easy for it all to get swept into the floor drains where they collect over time and eventually form a clog.
Run a Quick Test to Determine if You Need a Drain Cleaning Service
Apart from the obvious backup, another sign of a clogged floor drain in the laundry room, basement or garage may be foul odors. However, foul odors can also result from dried traps. Floor drains have U-shaped P-trap pipes that are designed to hold water in the pipe to prevent sewer gases from coming up through the drain.
So, here’s what you can do if you smell something funny coming from your floor drain: pour a bucket or two of water down the drain. If the water flows down nicely, and the smell is gone shortly after, you most likely just had a dry trap. If the water drains extremely slow or not at all, and the smell does not go away, you may have a clog.
Drain Cleaning Services to Unclog Floor Drains: Snaking versus Hydro Jetting
- Drain Cleaning with Hydro Jetting
- Hydro jetting is sending a forceful stream of water through your sewer lines. The force of the water is strong enough to clear out any clogs or other debris clinging to the inside of the pipes. The force of the water is so strong that it can even remove tree roots that have started to grow into the sewer line.
- This method may not be right for every home – especially older homes that have aging, brittle pipes. Prior to hydro jetting, plumbing technicians fully inspect the sewer system to determine the strength of the pipes.
Drain Cleaning with a Snake
Snaking a drain or pipe requires sending in an auger. An auger is a long steel cable with a strong head designed to break through clogs and clear a path through your pipes. Snaking is a more gentle process than hydro jetting, and can therefore be used on a wider range of sewer systems.
However, this process can only clear a path as wide as the tip of the auger, meaning there may still be some debris left behind. While great for clearing up basic clogs, hydro jetting provides a more complete clean.
Scheduling Your Drain Cleaning Service
What your plumber chooses to use on your floor drain will depend on several factors, but in general plumbing snakes are ideal for removing occasional blockages and hydro jetting is ideal for removing months of built up sludge, grease and tree roots. Your plumber will complete a thorough examination of the drains and pipes, and may ask you a series of questions before getting started such as “when was the last time you had your drains cleaned?” and “have your noticed any of your sinks or tubs draining slower than normal?”