A clogged drain in your home can be a frustrating problem, but it’s one that can typically be resolved quickly and easily by a professional plumber.
At Jewell Mechanical, we are most commonly called to address:
- Clogged tub and shower drains
- Clogged bathroom sink drains
- Clogged kitchen sink drains
But clogged toilets and laundry drains are other common issues.
Following are some of the most common causes of clogged house drains.
Clogged Tub and Shower Drains
The drains in your tub and showers may clog due to a combination of soap scum buildup, hair and dirt, which have a tendency to bind together.
Typically, a tub or shower clog develops over time, and you’ll notice the water draining less and less efficiently until it clogs completely and you have standing water in your tub or shower.
Clogged Bathroom Drains
Bathroom sink drains typically clog for the same reasons as those in the tub or shower, but sinks may be even more prone to clogs, as hair, dirt, soap scum and toothpaste make for a sticky combination. As you might expect, older homes are more likely to have issues with clogs than newer ones.
Clogged Kitchen Sink Drains
While everyone puts more or less the same things down the drain in their tubs and showers, kitchen sink drains are where homeowners tend to deliver self-inflicted wounds.
The number one thing to remember is to avoid pouring grease and oil down the drain in your kitchen sink.
Even if you don’t pour any grease down the drain, it may eventually clog because grease and oil is almost inevitably carried away when you rinse dishes and use the dishwasher. A sink drain will clog at an accelerated pace if its diet includes a lot of grease.
Another thing that has a tendency to stop up kitchen sink drains and grind garbage disposals to a halt are starchy and fibrous foods.
Avoid putting potatoes or mashed potatoes down the drain, as well as celery, corn husks and asparagus, not to mention any kind of fruit rinds.
Ideally, your garbage disposal should only be used for scraps, and not for disposing of significant volumes of food.
Clogged Toilets
Last but not least, one particularly unpleasant and malodorous problem is a clogged toilet, which usually happens when users attempt to flush items that aren’t water soluble and aren’t meant to be flushed.
Some of the worst things you can flush down your toilet are:
- Feminine hygiene products
- Cotton-tipped swabs
- Dental floss
- Wipes
- Towelettes
- Cat litter (since it has a tendency to clump)
Last but not least, children have been known to try to flush toys down the toilet, another thing to avoid, if at all possible.
Clogged Drains? We Can Help!
At Jewell Mechanical, our team of skilled and experienced technicians can handle all of your drain and pipe cleaning needs, as well as most other residential plumbing repairs.
We schedule service appointments at your convenience and treat your home with care. We can also address most residential plumbing emergencies.
But because residential plumbing performs best when it receives regular routine maintenance, we offer our customers an annual Plumbing Maintenance Agreement, which can help prevent backed-up drains and clogged toilets, among other disruptive plumbing issues.
Our Plumbing Maintenance Agreement includes two services per year and is the plumbing equivalent of our Energy Savings Agreement, our maintenance plan for residential HVAC systems.
To learn more or to make a service appointment, contact us online or call us at (615) 469-5965.
Additional Plumbing Resources:
5 Questions to Ask a Residential Plumber