No plumbing problem is more common and annoying than the clogged drain or the slow drain. Everybody has had to deal with one at some point, and you’ll probably deal with them in your home in the future.
Thankfully, clogs are usually easy to solve. The most basic ones you can safely remove with a plunger. For tougher clogs, you can call a plumber in Athens, GA who can rapidly clean the drain and take care of the clog. (Please don’t use chemical drain cleaners! These are potentially harmful for the drainpipes and don’t “clean” the drain at all.)
In this post, we’re going to explore what might cause that clog in your drain. Knowing this will help you to understand what kind of assistance you’ll need to get the drain, well, draining again.
Hair clots
This is the big enemy of shower and tub drains, as well as bathroom sinks. Hair often gets caught in the p-trap of a drain, which is the curved pipe section directly under the drain. As hair gets trapped, it will trap even more hair, and this can lead to a snarl that’s tough to remove with just a plunger. You can help reduce hair clots in the drains by purchasing drain strainers that keep hair from going down the drain in the first place.
FOG and other food waste
FOG stands for fats, oils, and grease, and this terrible trio is the greatest foe of your kitchen drains. FOG looks harmless when in hot liquid form, but when it cools it solidifies into a tough, waxy substance that sticks to the drainpipe walls. This can build up to the point of clogs, and it also creates foul odors and can attract drain flies. Thorough drain cleaning from professionals is usually necessary to get rid of fog, as well as other food waste that goes down the drain.
Soap scum
This is another common problem for bathroom drains, although the kitchen often has to deal with it as well. Soap residue that doesn’t fully dissolve in water turns into soap scum that adheres to drainpipe walls. Not only does soap scum often lead to clogs, but it can create a chemical reaction with the drainpipe that causes corrosion—and using chemical drain cleaners can speed up this process! Powerful drain cleaning can scour away soap scum.
Limescale
This is the product of hard water minerals leaving deposits on the pipe walls. Limescale is usually from calcium, and it’s difficult to remove. Not only do we recommend having the drains professionally cleaned, to remove limescale, we also advise you have a water softener installed for your home to reduce the level of hard water minerals.
Accidental objects
This is a catch-all category for any object that went down the drain that has no business being there. This includes caps from bathroom products, small plastic objects, and children’s toys. If the object is lodged in there, it may take a plumber to get it out.
At Snellville Heating, Air and Plumbing, Your Comfort Is OUR Business. Schedule drain cleaning to clear out your drains.
