How Do I Deal With a Slow Drain?

Household drains run slow for a number of reasons, and there are different courses of action to take depending on the type of drain and its history.

While some household drainage backups can easily be remedied by the homeowner using products sold in stores, it never hurts to consult or call in a professional drain clearing service if you’re unsure about what to do or if the problem gets out of hand.

Here are a few options for dealing with different types of slow drains:

• Recurring Slow Drains- If you’ve tried store-bought products and they haven’t provided a permanent solution to your slow drain, you should consider calling a professional to take a look at the sewage pipes inside and outside your home. You may have a blockage or tree root invasion in the main sewer line. Either of these issues would need to be diagnosed and properly addressed by a plumbing professional who has the tools and knowledge required to fix the problem for good.
• Multiple Slow Drains at Once- If your bathtub bubbles up when you flush the toilet or if all of your sinks are draining slowly, you may have a blockage in your main sewer line. In this case, calling a professional drain clearing service would be the first step.

• Slow Floor Drain- The floor drain collects all kinds of debris and runoff and can sometimes back up. If you see water standing in the drain or if water is bubbling out of it, you have a problem that needs to be remedied immediately. If you have a plunger, coat the bottom rim with petroleum jelly, seal it around the edge of the drain and plunge several times with significant force. If this doesn’t clear things up, you can try a commercial drain clearing agent or a less caustic mix of vinegar and baking soda. If these attempts fail, call a professional who can locate and remove the clog using a camera and professional plumbing tools that won’t harm your pipes.

Slow Drain No-Nos

• Electric Eel or Pipe Snake- Unless you’re a trained plumber, using store-bought tools like the electric eel or the pipe snake is a risky choice. These tools, if not used properly, can chew up, melt, and even crack PVC piping. It’s best to leave this type of work to a plumbing expert.
• Frequent Chemical Use- While drain clearing products are readily available and save money in the short term, they can actually cause corrosive damage to your pipes if used on a frequent basis, and their fumes can also be dangerous for children and pets. If you find that you’re pouring these chemicals down your drains on the regular, you probably have a bigger issue than a simple sink drain clog. Save your pipes and your lungs, and call a plumbing service.

Slow drains are not something to ignore, especially if they’re recurrent or multiple drains in your home are slow. For professional help with your slow drains, call Affordable Sanitation today. Our experts are prepared to answer your questions and eliminate the clogs that cause slow drains.