Plumber Claremont: Signs, Causes, Fixes, and Prevention of Blocked Indoor Drains
With the number of drains in your home, you are bound to experience the frustration of a blocked drain at some point. While blocked drains are common, it is important to address a blocked drain immediately to avoid any health hazards, piping damage, and flooding. With our quick guide, you can quickly pick up if your drain is blocked, understand the potential causes, get the drain unblocked, and take preventative steps to avoid your drain from blocking. When you require a professional plumber to unblock your drains, Plumbing Ways is your plumber Claremont for the job.
Signs Your Drain is Blocked:
Many people often leave a blocked drain as they feel it is not a high-priority plumbing problem. On the contrary, a blocked drain can quickly lead to numerous health risks in your home due to the bacteria that thrive in blocked drains, can cause damage to your pipes which can lead to leaks, and eventually can overflow into your home causing further damage. We have highlighted the signs that your drain is blocked so that you can pick up the problem sooner rather than later.
Slow Drainage: Have you recently noticed that your shower water takes longer to go down the drain or that your sink water takes ages to wash away? Slow drainage is a tell-tale sign that your drains are blocked. The speed of your drainage will slow down over time as your drain becomes increasingly blocked and can eventually lead to the water not draining at all if left untreated.
Bad Smell: Drains are not a pleasant thought to start with when you consider what goes down them, but a bad-smelling drain has to be the worst. If you notice a bad smell coming from your drain, it is most likely a clump of decaying matter stuck in the pipes. This is an immediate signal to have your drains unblocked as harmful bacteria will be growing in the decaying bits of food.
Gurgling: A gurgling noise is usually accompanied by either slow drainage or a bad-smelling drain. The gurgling noise is caused by air that is getting trapped in between the blockages of your drain. When you notice any suspicious noises coming from
Blocked Drain Causes:
Blocked drains happen to almost everyone. We all know that we should not throw food scraps down the sink or chuck our clumps of hair into the toilet to be flushed away, but sometimes these things just happen. We have briefly listed the common culprits of a blocked drain so that you can avoid the annoyance and stress of a blocked drain.
Fats, Grease, and Oils: While your fats, grease, and oils may easily slip down the drain when you are washing your roasting pans, they can cause major blockage problems in your pipes. Fats, grease, and oils harden when they cool. This process can be sped up when you use cold water to rinse your clean plates. As the fats, grease, and oils harden, they stick to the sides of your drain to create a blockage.
Hair: While thin, hair is a common drain blocker. Hair tends to clump together which then creates a mesh that captures other drain-blocking items. When you consider how often you wash your hair and the amount of hair you lose each time, this can quickly lead to a major drain block.
Food Waste: Food waste is a common blocker of kitchen drains. That stray piece of pasta or few granules of rice that you wash down the drain without a second thought can quickly lead to a blocked drain. Rinsing out your coffee press into your sink is also a common drain blocker. Food items tend to get caught in your drainpipes where they start to decay and collect more food, leading to a major blocked drain problem.
Toiletries: Cleaning wipes, earbuds, cotton pads, nappies, and feminine hygiene products are regularly discarded down the toilet. These toiletry items can quickly lead to disastrous consequences when washed down the drain. These items absorb water and can quickly cause a blockage in your pipe that can lead to flooding.
Foreign Objects: If you do not have a cover over your drain, it is easy for foreign objects to fall in and create a blockage. In the bath, children’s toys and your cleaning scrubs can quickly get sucked down the drain if you do not remove them before letting out the water. It is also easy to mistakenly drop items into an open bathroom sink, such as your toothpaste cap or your eyeshadow brush. These foreign objects are hard and will not be removed from your drain with DIY methods or chemical cleaners.
How to Fix Blocked Drains:
The severity of a blocked drain ranges from mild to serious. While in some instances a splash of boiling water can do the trick, other scenarios require an expert drain unblocking methods. We have highlighted the various ways that you can fix your blocked drain yourself and when you need to acquire the professional services of a plumber.
1) Boiling Water:
Pouring boiling water down your drain is a quick-fix solution to a mildly blocked drain. The boiling water will dissolve or unbind the blockage in your drain. The boiling water method is only effective if you catch your blocked drain signs immediately and will not sufficiently unblock your drain if there is a solid blockage in the pipe. You should also avoid using boiling water in PVC pipes as this can cause damage to the pipe joints.
2) Vinegar and Bicarbonate of Soda:
Vinegar and bicarbonate of soda are common household products that can act as a drain cleaner for mildly blocked drains. You can place a heaped tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda into the drain followed by a healthy glug of vinegar. The vinegar will react with the bicarbonate of soda and cause the mixture to foam and release oxygen. This method is effective for minor blockages and can assist in reducing the bad smell of your drain, but is not effective for major blockages. It is also imperative to thoroughly rinse your pipes with cold water once the mixture has dissolved to prevent any further build-up in your pipes.
3) Caustic Drain Cleaner:
When your blocked drain is starting to look a little more serious, you may start considering a chemical cleaner as a stronger unblocking option. One of the most common chemical drain cleaners is caustic cleaners. Your caustic cleaner will be made of caustic soda crystals, a highly harsh chemical that can dissolve any fats, hair, and food items that may be blocking your drain.
Caustic drain cleaners should not be used without caution. They are highly hazardous to your health, so you should wear protective equipment and handle the chemical with care. It is also highly damaging to the environment and is thus not the preferred drain unblocking method. Regular use of caustic drain cleaners can also damage your pipes.
4) Professional Plumber:
If you find that boiling water and the vinegar and bicarbonate of soda methods have failed you and you are regularly reaching for your caustic drain cleaner to unblock your drain, you have a serious blocked drain problem on your hand. This is when you need to call a professional plumber to help you fix the blocked drain. A professional plumber will be equipped and expertly trained to handle any drain blockage effectively so that you can avoid the risks of flooding, pipe damage, and health hazards.
How to Prevent Blocked Drains:
The best preventative step is to clean your drains regularly with either boiling water or vinegar and bicarbonate of soda mixture. It is easy to prevent your drains from becoming blocked when you ensure that you are actively avoiding placing any of the common culprits down your drain. We have briefly outlined a few additional steps to take that will prevent your kitchen and bathroom drains from becoming blocked.
Kitchen Drains:
- Scrape all food waste into your rubbish bin, composting bin, or Bokashi bin before washing your dirty dishes.
- Place a drain strainer in your kitchen sink to collect any smaller food waste particles and then discard them.
- Place fats and oils into a suitable container and allow them to harden in the fridge before discarding them in the rubbish bin.
Bathroom Drains:
- Place a drain guard over your shower drain to prevent hair from going down the drain.
- Remove hair from the shower drain guard and place it in the bin rather than flush it down the toilet.
- Remove all items from the bath before letting out the water.
- Never flush non-paper products or feminine hygiene products down the toilet.
Plumbing Ways Plumber Claremont for Blocked Drains:
When you require a fast and efficient plumber Claremont for a blocked drain, Plumbing Ways is the plumber for you. We are your expert plumber Claremont for drain unblocking services. You can rely on the professional services of Plumbing Ways plumber Claremont to get your drain unblocked effectively.
We understand that a blocked drain can quickly lead to major problems, with the worst being an overflowing drain that leads to the flooding of your home. This is why we offer 24/7 plumber Claremont services so that no matter the time of day, we can assist you with your blocked drain problems. Prevent your risk of damage and health risks with the immediate drain unblocking solutions of Plumbing Ways plumber Claremont.
Plumbing Ways plumber Claremont consists of a team of qualified and experienced plumbers. We have successfully assisted many residential and commercial spaces with blocked drain problems. From minor to major blockages, we are the plumber Claremont that is equipped to handle any drain blockages. Our plumber Claremont team is also registered with the Institute of Plumbing SA so that you can confidently call Plumbing Ways plumber Claremont when you need a drain unblocked.
Whether you have a major blockage in your drain or you are just being precautionary when you notice a minor sign of a blocked drain, we are the plumber Claremont that will offer you an affordable drain unblocking service. We offer budget-friendly plumber Claremont drain unblocking services so that you can always afford to have your drains cleaned with Plumbing Ways. You do not need to ignore the minor signs of a blocked drain with the low prices of Plumbing Ways plumber Claremont services.
For immediate assistance with a blocked drain problem, you can easily call or WhatsApp Plumbing Ways plumber Claremont. Our friendly team will organise a plumber Claremont to get to your residential or commercial space as soon as possible. We are the plumber Claremont that will provide you with speedy, affordable, and expert drain unblocking services.
Plumbing Ways is your professional plumber Claremont for removing minor or major blockages from your indoor drains.