Professional drain cleaning is an easy way to both overcome and prevent the majority of drain issues you may encounter. It’s usually not something you’ll need to have done that often if you use your drains and toilets properly and are careful about what you wash and flush down them. Nonetheless, if you notice any of the following issues, it means your home is definitely due for a professional drain cleaning.
1. Frequent Drain Clogs
Clogged sink and shower drains are an issue most of us occasionally encounter as a result of things like food scraps, hair, grease, and soap scum building up inside the P-trap underneath a drain. In some cases, just dumping some vinegar and baking soda down the drain will break everything up and lessen the chances of the drain quickly clogging again. Of course, you’ll first need to unclog the drain with a plunger before you can try this method.
While an occasional clog is fairly common, having one or more of your drains clog up all the time is a good indication you need a professional drain cleaning service. Frequent clogs are a sign that there’s a thick buildup of sludge within the P-trap and drain pipe.
When hair or small bits of food get washed down the drain, they can then easily get stuck in the sludge and start creating a blockage that eventually leads to the drain completely clogging. Having a plumber clean the drain will get rid of all of the sludge. That means you shouldn’t need to worry about the drain clogging again for quite some time, as long as you’re careful about what goes down it.
2. Slow Drains
Along with frequent clogs, another issue to watch for is if you have one or more drains that constantly drain much slower than they normally should. Slow draining is almost always a sign that there’s a partial blockage within a drain pipe or a large buildup of sludge within the P-trap. It could also indicate that the plumbing vent pipe on the roof is clogged. However, a clogged plumbing vent will usually cause all of your drains to be slow. It also typically results in toilets flushing slowly or incompletely and occasionally making a “burping” sound.
3. Gurgling Noises Coming From Your Drains
Whenever water goes down a drain or you flush a toilet, it results in air getting drawn into your plumbing system through the vent pipe. If this didn’t happen, you’d often end up with pockets of air getting trapped within the drain or sewer system that create a vacuum and prevent everything from draining properly. You can also end up with air pockets inside a drain pipe if it’s partially clogged.
As the water slowly drains through the pipe, some of the air continually gets released and flows upward through the drain pipe. As these air pockets escape the drain, they tend to produce gurgling noises. As such, this type of sound is also a sign you have a dirty, partially clogged drain that you should hire a plumber to clean.
4. Bad Odors
Another obvious indication that a drain is quite dirty and filled with lots of sludge and other organic materials is if you often smell a foul odor when using the sink or even just when standing near it. Certain types of bacteria thrive in dirty drains. That’s because they feed on organic materials like fat, grease, hair, food scraps, etc. They are often referred to as odor-causing bacteria since they produce foul smells as a byproduct when they feed on all of these things. The bacteria also cause all of these organic materials to quickly start rotting, which further contributes to foul drain odors.
5. Sewer Flies Coming Out of Your Drains
The presence of sewer flies or drain flies in your kitchen or bathroom is another sure sign that your drains are quite dirty and you should have them professionally cleaned. These flies are quite small and have a furry appearance that makes them look a bit like a tiny moth, which is why they’re also commonly referred to as moth flies. When you have an overly dirty drain, you’ll often start seeing these flies flitting around the sink or shower.
It’s especially common for some of them to fly up out of the drain whenever you turn the water on. Most species are nocturnal and attracted to light, meaning you’ll also often see them flying around the light in your bathroom if you go to use the toilet at night.
The reason the flies commonly live inside dirty drains is that they feed on all of the bacteria and sludge found within the drain. They also lay their eggs inside the drain, and then their larvae live within the water in the drain’s P-trap until they mature into adult flies and emerge out of the water. If a drain is clean, the flies won’t be attracted to it since there’s nothing for them to feed on. The adults also only live for around 20 days, meaning having the drain cleaned should prevent them from returning.
Some people recommend getting rid of the flies by pouring bleach down the drain and letting it sit for a while before then flushing the drain with hot water. It’s true that bleach will kill all of the adult flies as well as any eggs and larvae within the drain. The bleach will also kill most of the bacteria in the drain. Nonetheless, it usually won’t get rid of all of the sludge within the drain, meaning bacteria will soon return. That means more flies will also typically show up after not too long.
The bigger concern with pouring straight bleach down the drain is that it can damage pipes and increase the chances of the drain leaking. That’s because bleach can essentially eat through the glue used to hold PVC pipes together and ensure the joint connections are watertight. This risk of damage is why professional drain cleaning is always the best option.
Why You Should Never Clean Your Drains With Chemical Drain Cleaner
When dealing with a dirty drain or a clog, you might be tempted to try and fix the issue yourself by pouring chemical drain cleaning liquid or crystals down the drain. These drain cleaning agents are great at dissolving and breaking up sludge and any organic materials within a drain or toilet.
Nonetheless, the only reason that they’re so effective is that they contain extremely corrosive acidic or basic chemicals. These chemicals are so strong that they can quickly start eating through pipes or releasing so much heat that the pipe starts to warp. This damage means you can almost be assured you’ll end up facing leaks and potentially costly drain and sewer system repairs if you frequently use chemical drain cleaner. That’s why you should always call for a plumber whenever dealing with a drain that you can’t unclog with a plunger.
When it comes time to have your drains or sewer line cleaned, you can trust the expert plumbers at AZ Family Plumbing to perform the job correctly. Our team has years of professional plumbing experience and will work to overcome any plumbing, drain and sewer issues your home has. We’re also available 24/7 so you can turn to us any time an emergency arises.
To schedule an appointment to get your drains cleaned or any other service in the Glendale, AZ area, contact us today.
