Five Common Signs Of A Blocked Plumbing Drain

 

Everyone has played the childhood game of eye spy at one point or another. However, the game gets a little more high-stakes the older you get, and no one wants to be playing it as a homeowner. But, the sad truth is a lot of us end up playing homeowner eye spy the older our homes get. In this version of the game, homeowners keep an eye out trying to spy on any potential costly issue or small problem before they have time to grow into big-budget items, fixes, or rebuilds. Here are five common signs of a blocked plumbing drain problem developing. 

While this game can be played in any room of your house, here we will focus on how you can spy that you may have some drain issues or plumbing problems slowly developing. Keeping an eye on these issues and catching some of these common plumbing annoyances can end up saving you a lot of time and money in the long run. 

 

A Slow Drain

 

If it is taking forever for your toilet, bathtub, or sinks to drain (or if they are not draining at all) you have a surefire sign that there is a clog somewhere in your pipes. If you are noticing this slow drain issue in only one place (for instance, just the bathroom sink) then there is a good chance that you are dealing with a simple blockage in the trap (the U-shaped part of the piping.) This part of the pipes can easily develop clogs because of its shape. It is there to hold some water in order to stop sewer gases from climbing up through the pipes, but it can also catch debris that will build up over time. You can easily fix a blockage here yourself by removing the trap and then digging out the debris. Once this is gone, your sink, toilet, or tub should start draining perfectly once again. 

 

Running Bathroom Water Causes Toilet Issues

 

If you have noticed that when you run water in your bathroom your toilet bowl starts to fill up with water, you are in for some issues. This can happen because all of the drains in your bathroom are connected somewhere along the way. So, if you are having one of these fixtures impact the water levels of the other, that means there is more likely than not a blockage very early on in the drainage lines.

 

Multiple Slow Drains At The Same Time

 

While one slow drain could lead you to a localized clog in your drains, having multiple drains running slow all at once can be a sign of a lot of bigger blocked plumbing  problem. Having multiple drains running slow all at once could mean that there are some blockage issues running all the way back to the sewer line (the underground pipeline that brings wastewater from your home out to the municipal sewer system.) This is an issue that must not be ignored because it can lead to the possibility of sewage backing up and into your home. 

 

Persistent Bad Smells

 

If there are some foul odors that are unexplained floating around your home, the cause could be a blockage issue that has simply not shown itself to you yet. The cause of this smell-inducing blockage can be a build-up of organic material that has begun to rot or sewage that has begun to back up from your home’s sewer line. 

 

Strange Sounds In Your Pipes

 

While you cannot simply just peek in on a pipe, it can be hard to tell if a clog is beginning. You can keep an ear out, however, for dripping sounds, banging, hissing, or bubbling. All of these noises can be signs of a developing clog. Contact our team of professionals today for any drain problems you may have..