Nothing will put a damper on your holidays like a clogged drain. Even during a holiday season fraught with COVID-19 concerns, demands on drains increase. People are home and using plumbing for more hours in a day, which often leads to slow drains. Fortunately, professional drain cleaning remains an essential service in Modesto, CA. Here are five signs that a clog is way beyond your DIY skills and needs a professional plumber to address it:
- Slow drains: Most clogs contain fats, oil and grease. In a bathroom drain, they also include hair. When clogs grow large enough, it will take forever for the water to empty from your sink and tub and go down the drain. Slow drainage in one sink or tub is usually limited to that drain, and you can typically dislodge it with a plunger or pipe snake. However, if every drain in your home is slow, you may have a clog in your main sewer line. If that is the case, you have a serious problem and need a plumber to clear the pipe and make any needed repairs.
- Slow toilets: No one wants to deal with an overflowing toilet, and when the water recedes slowly, many people feel gut-level disgust and fear. Toilet water should recede within a few seconds and do so with one flush. If this is not the case, you likely have a clogged toilet drain line. This blockage of the branch pipe drain can lead to overflows and sewage backup in other drains. Call a plumber as soon as possible if you experience this issue.
- Gurgling: Plumbing should not be noisy, so if you hear gurgles or “glugs,” you likely have a clogged drain in Modesto, CA. This sound is similar to the one made when you pour a drink into a glass. In toilets, you will hear gurgles but also see bubbles with every flush. Gurgling is the early sign of a problem and suggests a clog that slows water flow but does not block it completely. That situation is temporary, so address those gurgles before you face a bigger problem.
- Backup: If you have a septic system, there is nothing more horrifying than waste backing up into your sinks, toilets and tubs. Municipal systems experience this too if a sewer main is blocked. Backup occurs every time you flush the toilet and results from the waste hitting a clog. With nowhere else to go, it travels up through other drains. Untreated wastewater contains pathogens that will leave your home unsanitary and risk your household’s health. When you see backup, contact a plumber immediately and request emergency services.
- Odors: Clogs decompose and leave odors behind. Depending on their materials, smells may resemble sewage or mold. Sewer gases are pungent but also dangerous. They cause headaches and dizzy spells. Gases also indicate the presence of ammonia, which is corrosive to pipes. The mold smell arises from clogs trapping water and increasing the humidity level in your home. It can also be dangerous, and at the very least, you should schedule a pipe inspection if you notice these odors.
Alvarado Pumping Septic Service offers professional drain cleaning in Modesto, CA. We provide dependable services and fair prices for clearing irritating pipe clogs. Call us today to schedule an appointment. We also offer 24-hour emergency services for septic system issues!