Drain clogs… nobody likes them. But we’ve settled on them as something that will happen from time to time in our plumbing, and we simply need to know the right way to deal with them. This usually means a basic sink plunger, followed by a call to a professional plumber if it doesn’t work. (Don’t, and we repeat, don’t use chemical drain cleaners, which can harm both your drains and you!)
But drain clogs should be only an occasional occurrence. If you have drains that are clogging up on a regular basis, you’ll need some thorough drain cleaning from professional plumbers—or possibly even more extensive plumbing repairs.
Possible reasons for multiple drain clogs
- Build-up of fats, oils, and grease: For kitchen sink drains, the problem you may be encountering is that various cooking substances such as oil and grease have gone down the drain. These substances look harmless in liquid form, but as they cool they become solid… very obstinate solids that cling to pipe walls and will start to close them off. As the volume in the drain pipe lessens, clogs will start easily. Professional drain cleaning can scour out this build-up.
- Hair and soap scum: This is a common problem for bathroom drains. If too much hair or soap scum collects down in the p-trap (the curved section of pipe underneath the drain) it will make clogging common. These clogs issues usually need the service of professionals to solve.
- Sewer line issues: This is a more serious trouble, since it cannot be fixed with basic drain cleaning. It will also start to affect all the drains in your home and may lead to sewage backing up in the basement. Professionals can either do extensive sewer line cleaning or repair the line if it’s broken. Don’t delay if you think you have sewer line trouble.
Red Rock Mechanical LLC is here for your plumbing service needs in Burlington, VT.
