BLOG

CALL:216-741-5131
Schedule Service

Drain Cleaning: When to Hire a Pro

A stopped drain has the power to stop any homeowner in their tracks.

We depend on our plumbing system to flow seamlessly. From the kitchen sink to the shower drain, we need the water to flow down and out of our homes so we can continue to move through our day effortlessly.

Deadlocked water can quickly turn smelly and annoying – not to mention put your stopped drain out of commission.

So, why is this happening and what do you do?
 

Common Causes of Clogged Drains

When you have a slow or clogged drain on your hands, the first thought that runs through your head may be: why?

Here are the most common causes of clogged drains in common areas of your home:

Kitchen

  • Food, food, food. When it comes to kitchen sink drains, the main cause of a clog is food in the drain. Often times, food washes off dishes and falls straight into the drain. Overtime, these particles can buildup and create a problematic clog.
  • Grease. While grease is in a liquid form, and will easily flow down a drain, grease can solidity and stick to the walls of drain pipes. From there, other particles stick to the grease and a clog begins to build.
  • Random objects. Jewelry, small toys and other objects that mistakenly fall down the drain and get trapped can cause a clog.

Bathroom

  • Gummy soap scum.
  • Hair.
  • Dirt.

Alone, these particles can be problematic, but – when it comes to bathroom drains – these elements tend to bind together, stick to the walls of drain pipes, and form a gunk that accumulates and reduces (or stops) water flow.

Basement

  • Broken sewer line.
  • Roots grown into your sewer line.
  • Lodged object in the drain pipe.
  • High levels of rainfall.

An often-overlooked place for drain clogs, basement drains can and do clog, back up and cause flooding.

In the case of high levels of rainfall, water temporarily raises above the overall water table and overwhelms the system. This can cause nasty, contaminated waste water to flow into your basement.
 

Ways to Unclog a Drain

When it comes to unclogging a drain and ridding your sinks or tub of standstill, gross water, there are many suggested routes. Of course, not all will prove effective for your situation.

If you’re ready to try your hand at addressing a backed-up drain, here are DIY methods to employ and NOT employ:

Methods that should be avoided:

  • Commercial drain cleaners. Seen in advertisements and sold nationwide in home maintenance stores, chemical drain cleaners are so acidic that they can damage piping and sink finishes. They can also emanate a harmful gas when they react with aluminum piping, solidify inside your pipes (becoming fixed and unmovable), and combine with other household cleaners inside the pipes and discharge out of the drain.

Methods that are safe to try on your own:

  • Boiling Water
    Boil water in a large pot. When ready, pour the water out in three, slow stages (5-10 seconds each) to allow the boiling water to work through the pipe.
  • Baking Soda and Vinegar
    • Mix 1/3 cup of baking soda with 1/3 cup of vinegar in a measuring cup, where the mixture will fizz.
    • Immediately pour the mixture down the clogged drain right away and let sit for an hour or overnight to promote clearing.
    • Finally, flush the drain with boiling water.
  • Plunger
    • Be sure you block the overflow drain opening on the bathroom sink, or a multi-compartment kitchen sink, with a wet rag.
    • Use a push-pull effect to break up and loosen clogs.
  • Plumbing Snake
    • Place the auger end of the snake into the drain.
    • SLOWLY feed the cable into the drain while also turning it.
    • When you’ve hit the blockage, the snake cable will back up, but continue cranking the snake cable to help it attach to the clog.
    • When resistance is felt, slowly pull the snake cable out.
    • Run hot or boiling water down the drain to flush out any remaining clog particles.
  • Remove the P-Trap
    • Take the drain trap apart under the sink.
    • If the clog is there, use gloves and clean out the trap with your hands.
    • If the clog is not there but you know there is a clog deeper in the pipe, insert the drain snake into the horizontal branch of the drain pipe to reach the clog this way.

When it’s time to call a professional:

  • Your clog is too big for the drain snake or other DIY method to handle.
    When that murky, smelly, standstill water won’t subside from all your DIY efforts – or, when it does, but slowly returns – it’s essential to address the clog(s) right away to keep the situation from getting worse.

 

Hydrojetting vs. Snaking

Hydro jetting is a method where a forceful stream of water – between 3,000 and 8,000 PSI – is pushed into the sewer line.

While snaking an auger in a drain or sewer line can prove effective for small clogs that are close to the drain opening, snaking may not clear the entire clog and only clears a path as wide as the tip of the auger.

Hydrojetting is extremely effective and the strong stream of water is strong enough to clear any and all debris or clogs, including hair, grease, tree roots, and much more.

For large, stubborn clogs, hydrojetting is almost always the answer.
 

Is a Sewer Line Cleaning Service Worth It?

A sewer line cleaning service is comprehensive and extremely effective at not only clearing your obvious, troublesome clog(s), but also areas in your sewer line that will be issues in the near future.
 

Is It Time to Call a Professional? Let Our 24-Hour Drain Cleaning & Hydrojetting Services Come to the Rescue

When your clog has become a regular in your home, it’s probably because your blockage is bigger than any DIY method can tackle.

If your clog won’t dissolve, or if it slowly returns, it’s time to call a professional plumber.

Offering effective hydrojetting services and 24-hour drain cleaning services, Invisible Excavations can assist you anytime, even during a nighttime emergency.

Our licensed plumbers work quickly to identify exactly where and what the problem is through a video pipe inspection and always minimize intrusion in your home.

Let’s unclog your drain(s) fast!

Schedule your drain and sewer line cleaning today:

[su_button url=”https://invisibleexcavations.com/services/sewer-line-and-drain-cleaning/” style=”flat” background=”#BE0100″ color=”#FFFFFF” size=”3″ wide=”no” center=”no” radius=”auto” text_shadow=”none”]Schedule Drain Cleaning Service[/su_button]