Having drain issues in your sink can be a nightmare, and many people don’t know the best methods to resolve a clog. Some common causes of clogged drains in the bathroom are excess toilet paper and feminine products. Using only necessary toilet paper and carefully disposing feminine products is the best way to prevent those clogs.

According to Black Tie Plumbing, in the kitchen sink, food grease and residue are the biggest culprits. You must take precautions when dishes carry leftover grease. Wipe greasy dishes with a paper towel before you wash them.

If you have a drain snake, you can try to remove your clog that way. However, if you find the drain still clogged after snaking, the clog may be too large. According to Roto-Rooter, to be sure the sink drains completely, pour a mixture of salt and baking soda down the sink, and then pour boiling water down the drain after 30 minutes.

If your home remedies for the clog don’t work, contact a plumber. They may use
commercial drain jetting, (a “jet” of highly pressurized water that goes down the drain). The pressure forces the clog apart, and the water flushes it down the drain.

Drains can become clogged for lots of different reasons. Sometimes, it depends on where the drain is. Shower drains often become clogged because they get full of hair, even when people are careful to make sure that very little hair goes down the drain. When you have problems with all drains backing up, however, there could be a more systemic issue with your pipes.

Some people might decide to get help from 24 hour emergency plumbers in those situations. When and if all drains in the house back up, people might not really be able to use their own bathrooms at all. They might have to get these plumbing issues fixed as rapidly as possible, and most plumbers should have the time to get there and restore the pipes as well as they can.

You can tell them on the phone: all my drains are clogged. They could have some suggestions related to the source of the problem. Still, they will usually need to bring their own equipment to see what is wrong with the plumbing system at your house. Telling them more details over the phone might help, but they’ll still make sure that they reach your home quickly after all drains are clogged.

Every homeowner has encountered the inevitable clogged drain. It’s tempting to fill your sinks and showers with Drano and to forget about them, but this comes at a high cost. Lye-based unclogging products eat away at glue holding your pipes together, and as the chemicals react with the other chemicals in your plumbing system, they can generate heat that results in any number of plumbing disasters. Here, we’ll look at four of the biggest causes of clogged drains, what you can do to prevent them, and how you’ll know when it’s time to bring in a professional.

Grease, Fat, and Oil

Plumbing experts agree that buildups of cooking grease and fat can cause major blockages in your kitchen draining system if they accumulate over time. It may be tempting to put all of your cooking leftovers down the garbage disposal, but unless you have a grease disposal, leftover fats from products like bacon should be disposed of away from the sink.

Hair

Just as grease accumulates regularly in your pipes, hair binds to sticky substancesthat accumulate in your drains and can cause blockages. If you’ve had excessive clogging in your shower or bathroom sink, consider getting a drain guard to catch any stray hairs. If you’re regularly trimming your own hair, such as a beard or bangs, you can lay a paper towel over the sink to catch your discarded strands and throw them away when finished to prevent a clogged drain.

Tree Roots

If you’re consistently noticing damage to your pipes, tree roots may be the culprit. This occurs because the roots seek out water and nutrients, which they can usually find underneath the house. Your home may be especially at risk if it was built between 1920 and 1970, when many builders were using clay pipes that are susceptible to breakage. Consult with a trusted plumbing service to ask about installing a modern system.

Soap

Unfortunately, one of the most common causes of clogged drains also appears in your sinks and showers daily. Much like grease and fat, soap accumulates <along the sides of your pipes over a long period of time, eventually resulting in scum that causes blockages. Experts recommend having your entire plumbing and septic system inspected every three years to detect any buildup of scum and grime before it results in a plumbing emergency.

Ultimately, a professional will know how to diagnose a clogged drain and will have the tools and skills available to keep everything running smoothly, so to speak. Taking care of your pipes by knowing what does, and does not, belong in your drains can prolong their life, and investing in a modern plumbing system in an older home will help prevent system failure later on.