When you run your bathroom or kitchen sink, the water should go down the drain as it goes into the sink. If you’ve got water pooling up simply from washing your hands or doing some dishes, it’s because there’s a clog somewhere in the drain line. The best way to avoid having to call a drain cleaning service is to make sure you’re not putting anything bad down your drains and cleaning them when they start to slow down a bit. If you’re wondering what might have clogged a drain in your St. Paul, MN, home, keep reading to learn more about clogged drains and their causes.
Bathroom Drains
You can have a clog in any drain in your house, but bathrooms are probably the most common spot for clogs to occur. Not only are there a lot of different fixtures in bathrooms, people tend to be a little more lenient with what they put down bathroom drains.
If you want to keep your toilet from getting clogged, the only thing you should flush down the toilet is toilet paper. Even if the wipes you use are marketed as flushable wipes, they’re bad for your drains. These wipes don’t break down like toilet paper does in your drain pipe, leading to frequent drain cleaning service calls. Other things you should avoid putting down your toilet include makeup products, cotton swabs and cigarette butts.
Your bathroom sink and shower are also common spots for drain clogs to occur. Hair and soap tend to build up and cause clogs, and it can be tough to avoid getting these things in your drain when you’re showering or shaving. The best way to avoid having to call a drain cleaning service to unclog your shower or bathroom sink is to use a drain catch to catch hair and soap scum before they get into your drain pipes. Keep in mind that you will have to clean this drain catch every once in a while for the best results.
Kitchen Drains
A lot of people end up having to call a drain cleaning service because of what they put down their kitchen sink drain. While it might seem like your garbage disposal should be able to handle just about any food you put down there, that’s simply not the case. The best thing you can do is avoid running any food through your garbage disposal that you don’t have to.
Some of the foods that commonly cause drain clogs in kitchen sinks include pasta, rice, fruit pits, coffee grounds, egg shells, and oils, greases and other fats. While your garbage disposal does a fine job of breaking down certain types of food, putting the wrong food down it means you’ll eventually need the help of a professional drain cleaning service. There are strainers you can buy which attach to the corner of your sink so you can dump wet food in the sink without putting it down the garbage disposal.
Drain Cleaners
One of the biggest mistakes a lot of St. Paul, MN, homeowners make is using the wrong drain cleaner. When most people have a clogged drain, they head to the store and pick up a bottle of Drano or a similar drain cleaner. While these are some of the most popular options, most drain cleaning services would recommend avoiding them.
If you want to keep your drains clean or unclog them safely, you need to use an enzyme-based drain cleaner. These drain cleaners contain enzymes which eat away at the organic material that causes clogs in your drain. Other drain cleaners work by using chemicals to break down the clogs in your pipes. Not only are these drain cleaners ineffective, they can also cause serious damage to your drain pipes. Using a chemical-based drain cleaner for too long could mean more than a call to a local drain cleaning service. If you’re using a drain cleaner that’s breaking down your pipes, you could need to have a whole section of your drain pipes redone.
A Bigger Problem
In most cases, a clogged drain isn’t the biggest deal. You can start by using an enzyme-based drain cleaner to try to get the clog out yourself. If that doesn’t work, you can call a drain cleaning service and have them get the clog out manually. However, there are times when there’s something bigger than a simple clog blocking your drain, so it’s important to call a professional if you’re having trouble getting a drain unclogged.
Sometimes blocked drains are a result of a tree root that’s growing through a drain pipe somewhere near your home. If you’ve got a large tree that isn’t too far away, this is a risk you face. You can have a plumber inspect your pipes with a camera to see if there’s a tree root blocking them.
The good news is, a drain cleaning service can take care of a tree root that’s grown through your drain pipe. There are ways to kill the root without doing too much damage, and the root can be manually removed if that doesn’t work. If you’ve tried other methods of unclogging your drains and nothing seems to be working, or if all the drains in your home are draining slowly, call a plumber right away.
A Helping Hand
Just because a slightly clogged drain isn’t a major problem doesn’t mean you don’t need to get it fixed. Clogs get worse over time, so you need to get professional help if you can’t get rid of a clog in one of your drains.
If you’re in the St. Paul, MN, area, Paul Bunyan Plumbing & Drains can help you get rid of any clogs that are causing you problems. Our drain cleaning service professionals have the proper tools and knowledge necessary to get rid of even the toughest clogs. If you want to get your drains back to normal, call us today at 952-213-3643.
