Common Causes of Clogged Drains in Your Home
If you have ever experienced a clogged drain, you know the woes associated with this unfortunate occurrence. It can happen to anyone, and especially when you least expect it. Maybe you have ignored that slow drain in your shower or bathroom sink. Maybe you have dumped excessive amounts of kitchen scraps into your disposal. We have all done it. What are common causes of clogged drains in your home? Causes may range from food, grease, found objects, hair build up, broken pipes, or root intrusion.
Food
Food is one of the most common causes of clogged drains. Have you ever had that Thanksgiving Day backup of food in your sink? Did you peel five pounds of potatoes for your famous mashed potatoes and put the peels into your garbage disposal? This is a huge no-no. Potato peels are a common cause of clogged kitchen sink drains. These peels are not fully processed by the disposal and subsequently clog up your kitchen sink drain at the most inopportune time.
Grease
Maybe you decided to dump that cup of bacon grease or the oil from your deep fryer into your sink. Again, this is a huge no-no. Grease, although it maybe liquid when you dump it into the drain, solidifies as soon as it cools. This does not take long because your pipes are nowhere near the temperature it took to liquefy that grease. Grease and oils clog up drains quickly, generating that nasty backup.
Unusual Objects
It could be that an unusual object has clogged your drain. People find everything from rings, car keys, toys and everything else in the drain, clogging up the line. Be careful what you place next to the kitchen sink. It is easy to drop things into the sink and not realize they are in there.
The shower and sink drains are equally offensive and often have smelly repercussions. Hair is one of the most common causes of clogged drains in your home. It is surprising how quickly someone with long hair can clog up the shower drain. This clog usually evolves over time, so you do have a warning for this type of drain clog. If you are standing in water in your shower that takes a long time to drain, it is time to take action before the whole thing clogs up and stops draining. Hair can also build up in the sink in the bathroom in the same way. If you notice the water is draining slowly, it may be from styling your hair over the sink.
Broken Pipes and Root Intrusion
Two additional causes of clogged drains are broken pipes and root intrusion. These two scenarios are unavoidable and you have little to no control over them. Broken pipes typically occur when the weather is cold or if the pipes are very old and rusted. Root intrusion is caused by trees roots growing too close to the home and invading the infrastructure. Roots can penetrate through the tiniest crack in your pipes and quickly develop inside of your pipes causing a reduced area for the wastewater to leave your home. In many cases this can lead to a waste water yard leak.
Ultimately when many of these clogs happen you your best choice may be to contact your local plumber to take care of the problem. Your local plumber will have the proper tools and experience to remove your clog and get things flowing in the right direction again.
