Fall is the Best Season for Drain Cleaning

With winter and the holidays just around the corner, fall is a great time for a lot of maintenance around the house, including with your drains and plumbing systems. For one, back to school time means things are quieter and less hectic around the house, giving you more time to focus on the repairs and chores that got put on the backburner during the busy summer months. So if you have a clogged drain in your bathroom, laundry room, or kitchen that you’ve been neglecting, now is the best time to get unclogging.

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Things that Could Be Blocking Up Your Drains

The nature of the clog in your drain is primarily based on where in the house the blockage is happening. Many things can clog up a drain, and diagnosing the problem may help you decide to tackle the removal best.

• Kitchen: Likely culprits in the kitchen include food, grease, and things that may have accidentally fallen in during dishes or cooking. Food waste should never go down the drain, but sometimes scraps slide down, and these can build up in the pipes. Similarly, grease and fat shouldn’t go down the drain either, as they congeal when they get cold and stick to the pipes.
• Bathroom: Showers, bathtubs, and bathroom sinks are most often blocked up with hair, because body hair that’s naturally shed tends to get washed off during bathing, and most often it ends up in the drain. In the toilets, most blockages are caused by bathroom tissue, diapers, feminine hygiene products, and other toiletries.
• Laundry room: Since the laundry room is where the laundry is typically done, the biggest cloggers in a laundry tub drain are debris and lint. Laundry tubs are also the place for dirty and grimy jobs, so all manner of waste can end up down the drain, including plant matter, rocks, and other unknown substances.

Calling the Plumbing Experts for a Helping Hand

Dealing with clogs can take time, patience, and tools that you simply may not have. And if that’s the case, your best option is to call an expert plumber who has the knowledge and skill to diagnose and fix your clog. Particularly the case when the clog isn’t caused by the offenders above, as in the case of when a tree root grows into your pipes and causes damage and blockages. Or, if you have tried to tackle the clog on your own and haven’t had any success, a plumber will know exactly how to proceed.

Expert tip: If you’re always dealing with clogged or slow draining pipes, call a plumber. There may be another problem going on that needs to be addressed.

Cleaning Your Own Drains with Pressure and Plungers

If you’re not ready to throw in the towel just yet and want to try your hand at unclogging your pipes, here are some tips on using pressure and suction to help you accomplish your task.

With a plunger: The best plunger for a toilet is the flange, and the best plunger for sinks, tubs, and showers is the cup. Make sure you have about two inches of water in whatever basin you’re dealing with, and plunge in a vertical motion. Plunge in 15- to 20-second increments before testing if the plunger did its job.

With a drain bladder: For more stubborn clogs that won’t be plunged away, you can use a drain bladder, which attaches to a garden hose and blows away blockages with water pressure. However, it’s important to use the right amount of water pressure according to the size of the bladder and the manufacturer’s recommendations, or you could cause more damage or an exploding geyser of drain water.

When it’s time to call in the experts, call Hall’s Plumbing, in Woodland, CA at (530) 290-1922. Whether you don’t have the tools or the time, haven’t been able to remove the blockage on your own, or are dealing with extensive plumbing issues, we have the skills and expertise needed to get your drains flowing properly.