Having a stopped up drain can be quite frustrating. At First Choice Plumbing Heating & Air Conditioning we help New Jersey homeowners to maintain their drains working and draining fully.
Whether it’s your kitchen sink, shower or main bathroom drain you want cleaned out, having a slow draining or completely clogged drain can get worse if not taken care of.
If you notice water pooling in your sink or tub, odds are there’s something inside your pipes obstructing the path. The good news is that the vast majority of drain clogs are avoidable and, when caught early, not too difficult to clear.
Why Drains Stop Draining
When people ask, “why is my drain not draining?” The answer is usually a mix of buildup and probably bad luck.
Your drains collect a lot of things that aren’t particularly friendly to your plumbing, including grease, food scraps left in the sink, soap scum and hair, sometimes they even collect items that should never make it down your drain at all.
These substances can accumulate in your pipes and line the insides of them over time until it becomes difficult for water to pass through.
Below are the most frequent culprits for clogging in our homes:
1. Grease & Food in Kitchen Drains
Grease and cooking oils solidify when cooled, despite their apparent innocuousness when heated. They then adhere to the pipes and gather food fragments. Before long, you’ll have a kitchen sink that drains slowly and cannot be fixed by boiling water.
2. Hair & Soap Buildup
Hair and soap can clog sinks, bathtubs and showers. Each time the drains get used, the mixture that is created can become a thick layer and trap even more dirt.
3. Accidental Blockages
Jewelry, tiny toys, cotton swabs or any other small item can fall and accidentally clog a drain. Even something as trivial as leftover shaving cream or toothpaste can dry up and also obstruct the water flow.
4. Damage from Tree Roots or Pipes
A more serious plumbing problem might be the cause of multiple slow drains in your house. Your entire house may be impacted by a drainpipe clog caused by tree roots or cracked pipes blocking your main line.
Simple Ways to Fix a Slow Drain
But there are things you can try before calling a plumber if the water won’t run:
- Boiling Water: This allows the residue to dissolve away. In the case of oil, soap and soap residue, you can pour a kettle of boiling water into the drain.
- Baking Soda and Vinegar: Mix half of each. Pour it in, let it fizz for 15 minutes and rinse it with hot water.
- Plunger: Use this well known tool to dislodge minor blockages near the opening.
- Drain snake: a flexible instrument used to extract debris and hair from deeper within the pipe.
With the above solutions, if the clog is not cleared, then it may be too deep, resulting in no positive outcome with the do-it-yourself methods.
When to Call a Professional
Sometimes, even your best efforts won’t get the water flowing again. That’s when you need a licensed plumber. At First Choice Plumbing Heating & Air Conditioning, we use professional-grade drain cleaning tools that go far beyond what you’ll find at a hardware store.
Our mechanics can look down your pipes, pinpoint where the clog is and remove it safely without harming your plumbing. We have helped many homeowners conquer stubborn drain problems once and for all, returning their sinks, tubs and showers to normal flow.