Visit any type of home improvement store or even a local grocery store and you’ll see just about any kind of chemical drain cleaner that you could possibly want.
Read the labels on these and other similar products and you’ll think that by using one of these products, your drain problems will just disappear like magic.
While it may be true that most minor clogs can be cleared away simply by using one of these drain cleaning products and perhaps a plunger, this may not be the best way.
In fact, we don’t recommend using chemicals to clear out your drain. They can cause damage to your piping system and if they ever splash in your eyes or skin, they can cause a rash or worse.
Do You Need professional plumber for a drain clog?
If you are having a recurring drainage issue it could indicate that there is a bigger problem that may require the attention of a local professional plumber.
If you’ve recently noticed any of the following issues with the plumbing system in your home, it may be time to contact Trinity Plumbing – your professional plumber for a drain clog.
Sewer Line Clogs
If you’re hearing gurgling sounds coming from your drains or notice water backing up from your tub or shower when you flush the toilet, you may have a sewer line clog.
There are several factors that can cause a sewer line to become clogged.
As an example, one of the more common problems we see is a phenomenon known as root intrusion.
This is where tree and shrub roots enter the sewer line through a small hole or crack in a pipe, then quickly grow and expand in the sewer line while they are searching for water. Items that are flushed down the toilet or dropped into the sink, then snag on the roots forming a tight ball or what is known as a clog.
Another way that clogs can form in a sewer line is when debris, such as feminine hygiene products or even regular toilet paper that is flushed down the toilet snags on small obstructions like a rough edge from corrosion that is naturally occurring on the inside of older cast iron pipes in the sewer line. As other items also become trapped there, a major clog then eventually forms.
First time home buyers, Ashlea and her family recently shared with us how terrified they were when they discovered a sewer line had backed up while they were working in their yard one Saturday.
They not only were concerned about the cost, but also how long it was going to take to get the problem fixed. Contact Trinity Plumbing, we were able to explain what was happening and how we could take care of their plumbing problem right away.
Toilet Clogs
The bathroom toilet is something that most people rarely think about – as long as it works the way it is supposed to that is.
When a toilet has a clog, however, it’s not only a major inconvenience, it can cause quite the mess if the toilet not only won’t flush, but decides to overflow.
Fortunately, recognizing a clog isn’t all that hard to do. If your toilet has a poor flush, or rather, only partly drains, it means that the toilet has a partial blockage or is maybe completely clogged with debris.
If the toilet won’t flush at all, however, and leaves you forced to stand there watching in horror as the water fills to the brim and perhaps even overflows and runs over – well, the problem is obvious and you can bet the farm that the drain system for your toilet has developed a major clog.
While every household is going to have an occasional clogged toilet, it’s when the problem happens continuously or the toilet won’t flush at all no matter what you do to it that you should become concerned. When this is the case, you either have a clog in the “s bend” of the toilet, or there is a large clog somewhere further along the drain line.
You may be able to fix it yourself, but if the clog is further than your regular home improvement bought drain snake can reach, it may take a little more detective work to get to the source of the problem.
Trinity Plumbing not only has the right equipment to break through a clog along the drain line, we have a video camera that can find the problem and let us actually look at the problem without having to guess where the blockage could be located.
Using a pipeline video camera, Trinity Plumbing can locate the problem in a non-destructive manner and pinpoint the clog’s actual location.
Sink Drain Clogs
If you have plumbing in your home, an occasional clog in a kitchen or bathroom sink is not only common, it’s just a fact of life.
If it’s a localized clog, meaning the clog is in the P or J-trap below the sink, then you can usually clear the clog with a plunger or pipe snake (sometimes known as an auger).
If the problem is more severe, however, it may require hiring a professional plumber for a drain clog fix.
As an example, if the P or J-trap has become completely blocked and plunging or snaking doesn’t work, we may have to actually remove the piping from below the sink and manually clean the trap out to remove the clog.
If the clog is further down the line, we may also use our camera system to show us what is going on so we can fix it.
Since this is such a common residential plumbing problem, let’s take a look at some of the things that can contribute to clogged drains in a kitchen or bathroom sink.
What Causes Kitchen Sink Clogs?
Clogs that occur in kitchen sinks are usually caused by one of three things. Food, grease, or both.
When food is washed off of plates, it usually goes down the drain where it settles in the pipe’s trap, which is designed to catch larger items and keep them from traveling through the rest of the plumbing system in your home. As time passes, more of these small pieces of food collect there and eventually form a clog.
Grease also creates clogs, but it does so more slowly by coating the inside of the pipes over a longer period time. It can eventually cut off the flow of water on its own if there is enough of it, but since it is a sticky substance, it will usually collect debris, such as the food that is passing through the pipes and eventually the two together form a big messy clog.
The bad thing about this type of clog is that it is not simple to remove. To avoid this type of clog from happening, we suggest that you avoid pouring grease down the drain and scrape food particles off of plates into the trash before you wash them in the sink.
What Causes Bathroom Sink Clogs?
Interestingly, most bathroom sink clogs are caused by hair and soap along with dirt and even skin flakes. Since soap is such a gooey substance, it easily traps the hair and other types of debris that goes down the drain of the sink where it binds with it on the walls of the drain pipe.
One of the easiest ways to prevent these kinds of clogs is to fit the opening of the drain with a hair catcher that collects hair when you wash your head in a sink or take a shower. This type of device prevents the hair from going down into the pipe and allows you to collect it for easy removal. We especially recommend this for the bathtub, since that is actually where a lot of clogs involving hair and soap can occur.
Trinity Plumbing – The Best Professional Plumber for Drain Clogs
When your plumbing system doesn’t work the way it is supposed to, our professional plumbers are the ones to call.
Contact Trinity Plumbing. We’ll be there at a time that is convenient for you, not the other way around. Customer satisfaction is our number one priority!
