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Reasons Your Drain May be Blocked

Posted on September 10, 2014 by Melbourne Plumber

There are really four main reasons you might have a clogged or blocked drain, and any of these can result in needing to call a professional plumber. Licensed master plumbers can handle any of these types of blocked drains, and can guide homeowners in the right thing to do to get them fixed properly. Let’s take a look at the reasons your drain might be blocked:

Leaves and Trees

In areas with a lot of trees and greenery, such as Melbourne, Florida, there can be leaves and even tree roots which can wreak havoc on drains and pipes. Outdoor drains which aren’t cleaned out regularly can get backed up with old, dried leaves, leaving the drain unable to function as it should. Since trees are constantly looking for a good water source, it’s not uncommon to find tree roots which have surrounded pipes in an attempt to get at the water supply. This is especially true with homes that have larger, older trees on the property. A licensed master plumber can send a snake down the pipes which has a camera attached. The camera can show the exact spot at which the problem is occurring.

Grease

Whether you’re working in the kitchen or in the garage, grease of any kind can cause drains to clog. Grease will naturally stick to the insides of pipes, making them slow to drain. The best was to avoid this is to make sure that no grease gets down the kitchen sink or when working in the garage, grease is cleaned up with a degreaser instead of being sprayed down any outdoor drains.

Hair

Most drains have covers to prevent hair from going down the drain, especially in showers and tubs. These covers work well, but hair can still get past the holes over time, causing the shower or tub to drain much slower than it should. While there are inexpensive drain sticks which are meant to help pull hair out of drains, there are times when the clog is too far down the drain for these types of tools to help. If this is the case, a good plumber is what you need.

Foreign Objects

Any parent can tell you how fascinating it is for a toddler to throw something down the toilet and flush it, just to see it swirl around before going down. But what’s fun for an inquisitive child isn’t so much fun for an adult. These foreign objects can often make it down and cause clogs in the pipes, resulting in clogged toilets. Toilets can also drain from too much toilet paper going down or from sanitary items.

If you have any drain problems, calling a qualified licensed plumber can get your home up and running again in no time. Whether it’s inside or outside, they can find the problem fast and get it taken care of, so you can spend your time on more fun things.