The drainage system is the part of your plumbing responsible for carrying away the wastes produced at your home into a treatment point such as the septic system or the municipal sewer lines. Hence, its importance in ensuring the sanitation at your Mansfield, TX home cannot be understated. Therefore, you must ensure that your drains are efficiently working for your home to remain clean, healthy, and comfortable.
The homeowners use a lot of money yearly to pay for drain cleaning services. So, what makes your drains clog? The drainage system wasn’t meant to carry all the wastes to your home. Unfortunately, some homeowners toss objects that will soon cause issues in their kitchen or shower drains. Most plumbing systems are prone to developing “fatbergs,” a collection of solidified fats, grease, and oil mixed with trash. You will experience issues with your toilets and drains whenever your drainage system has fatbergs.
Fortunately, professional drain cleaning services can easily, quickly, and safely remove them. But how can you tell that you need professional plumbers to come over and clean your drainage system? Can’t you clean and clear the drainage system yourself? Below are some telltale signs that you need drain cleaning and why DIY drain cleaning is terrible.
Water Backing Up from the Other Drains Whenever You Flush the Toilet
Have you noticed water on your floor, shower, or tub drains when you flush your toilet? This means that your drainage system has a clog. The clog forces the wastewater to begin backing up and flow out of the lowly installed drains. Whenever this happens, you should have a drain cleaning service promptly. While the wastewater will recede soon, it still is dirty water that might be full of disease-causing pathogens.
Scientists claim that untreated water pays homage to various disease-causing pathogens. They estimate that there are over 1000-10M virus particles in one milliliter of sewage. Furthermore, wastewater might contain other harmful bacteria such as Salmonella and Escherichia Coli. Hence, you should never underestimate the health risks a backing-up drain poses to you or your family. It might make you contract sanitation-related illnesses such as cholera and dysentery. The thought of you touching that filthy water alone should be enough to make you call a professional plumber immediately. A drain cleaning service provider cleaning the drains and removing the blockage is safer, easier, and affordable.
Allowing the clogs to develop might also cause serious sewer line obstructions. Whenever this happens, all your drains stop, and you might have a plumbing emergency. Such a complex drainage issue will also mean you will spend more on drain cleaning and other repairs because it might make the pipes burst. Hence, have routine maintenance and drain cleaning service in Mansfield, TX, to weed out the developing sewer and drainage issues before they become a catastrophe.
Slow Drains
The other and probably the most common sign that you need a drain cleaning service is if your drains take forever to flume away the wastewater. This often arises because of a blockage or clog in your drainage pipe connected to the specific drain. It might be the drains in your floor, sink, tub, or shower. The clogs might consist of fatbergs, although they may also have larger pieces of soap and food debris. Flushing the non-flushable items down the toilet is another common cause of drainage clogs. Unfortunately, most manufacturers of these items misleadingly claim that they are flushable to drive sales.
If only a single drain has a problem, you might clear the blockage using a plunger. However, this isn’t encouraged, as that single drain might signify a larger underlying issue. That is why a drain cleaning service provider is recommended to come over for a thorough inspection. The plumber can determine the extent of the damage, the size of the clog, and how deep it is down your drains using a drain inspection camera. Then, they will use industry-approved methods to remove the clog.
Unfortunately, whenever some homeowners determine they have a leakage, the first thing on their mind is to buy chemical drain cleaners and pour them down the drains rather than contact a drain cleaning service provider. However, since these materials use chemical reactions to clean the drains, they may do you more harm than good.
First, they catalyze corrosion in metallic plumbing systems and are harmful to the environment because they release toxic fumes. Second, most chemical reactions are exothermic; the heat produced might burn the plastic pipes. Third, the chemical drain cleaners will find their way into your septic tank if you have one. This impacts the septic tank’s ecosystem since the chemicals kill the bacteria that break down the waste. All in all, using chemical drain cleaners will do you no good.
By contrast, professional drain cleaning service providers in Mansfield, TX use industry-accepted cleaning methods such as augers, drain snakes, and hydro-jetting. Since they have the right plumbing tools, the professionals will clean the drains efficiently and thoroughly. Hence, you won’t have to call a plumber later because the problem has recurred.
Moldy Smells
The other sign that you might need a drain cleaning service is whenever you notice a moldy or musty smell. The clogged drainage system’s water backup can also make your entire home smell like mold. So what causes this? The backing up wastewater may raise the indoor moisture levels of your Mansfield, TX home, making the indoor relative humidity levels higher. Unfortunately, if the relative humidity levels are over 60%, they create a favorable condition for molds and other fungi to thrive. Mold isn’t something you want growing or thriving in your home, and the longer they remain there, the larger their colonies become.
There are many reasons for indoor mold growth, such as leaks. However, plumbing issues such as wastewater backups are among the most common causes. Therefore, you should remain proactive in keeping the drains clear of clogs and clean. Have you noticed that your home smells like stale bread, damp socks, or a gym locker? That is a sign that mold is growing somewhere. It is better that you reach out to a drain cleaning service provider to inspect the plumbing system, pinpoint where the mold is growing, clean it and address the root cause of the problem. The professionals are experienced and equipped with tools that make diagnosing plumbing issues such as backups, hidden leaks, or drain clogs easier.
Multiple Slow Moving or Stagnating Drains
Have you noticed that multiple drains take forever to channel the wastewater from your home? That is a plumbing emergency, and you should call a plumber immediately. The slowly moving drains can be anywhere in your home, from the garage, bathroom, or kitchen. Regardless stagnating or slowly moving drains are a clear sign that you need a drain cleaning service as there can be. It indicates that there might be a major clog in the main drainage pipe or the branch drain lines.
Whenever these lines are obstructed, they affect multiple drain lines at your home. Unfortunately, accessing them without professional help might prove difficult. Hence, DIY drainage system cleaning will not work. The branch lines usually run within the walls or even under the flooring. On the other hand, the main drain line runs underground, typically under your lawn or yard. Contact a licensed plumber whenever you notice several malfunctioning drains at your Mansfield, TX home.
The professional can determine the reason behind the slowly moving or stagnating drains using an inspection camera. These video cameras allow the plumbers to locate any clogs, corrosion, or even fractures in the drainage system. The professional will promptly offer a drain cleaning service because they know the exact location of the clog. Unlike your DIY enthusiast, the professional will use acceptable cleaning methods to ensure that your drainage system is clear of any blockages or clogs.
Presence of Pest and Vermin in Your Home
The smell produced by decomposing wastes can attract unwanted visitors such as flies, rats, roaches, and rodents. Whenever they notice the smell, these vermin and pests might invade your home because most of them feed on such decomposing materials. Whenever there is a blockage in your drainage system, the wastes don’t flow properly or as they should.
As a result, they start decomposing in the drains, attracting unwanted “guests,” prompting you to have a drain cleaning service. When they enter your home, they will cause other property damage. Further, some pests and vermin are vectors of disease-causing pathogens. Hence, their presence at your home might make you sick.
Have you noticed more flies at your home? That is a sign that you are about to have a drainage issue if you haven’t had one already. The drainage system provides the pests and vermin with food, a home, and a bacteria breeding ground. If the vermin are pesky enough, they might also carry germs throughout your home. Hence, reach out to a plumber whenever you encounter critters at your home.
The professionals will inspect the plumbing system to determine the cause, and if the drains are clogged, they will clean them. This will deny the critter food and breeding ground, making them leave your home. If the plumber uncovers any other issue after inspection, they will fix it to ensure that your drains are pristine and optimally flowing.
Sewer Smells
Besides smelling awful, the sewer gases also can cause dizziness and headaches. This is specifically true for the hydrogen sulfide gas, which makes the sewer system have that rotten egg smell. Exposure to even minimal amounts of hydrogen sulfide can cause the symptoms above and also diarrhea and nausea. Besides hydrogen sulfide, the sewer gases also comprise the very pungent ammonia. High levels of ammonia are also dangerous. The gas is highly corrosive and toxic. Inhaling it could cause throat and nose irritation as well as coughing.
The waste decomposes whenever the drainage system becomes clogged, producing the sewer smell that backflows into your Mansfield, TX, home. When the sewer gases mix with the indoor air you breathe, it makes your home uncomfortable. Hence, whenever you notice a sewer-like smell, have a drain cleaning service to remove any clogs that might have formed deep in the drains. The last thing you want is the waste to start decaying and decomposing within your drainage system.
Uncharacteristic Sounds Emanating from Your Drains
Whenever there is an obstruction in your drainage system, you might notice weird sounds such as glugging or gurgling. The glugging sounds are akin to those you hear when you rapidly pour a beverage into a glass. These noises are because of the air in the drains forcing its way through the clog. You could also have noticed a whooshing or a bubbling sound.
Whenever you hear these sounds, the blockages in your plumbing system vents are, in most cases, the culprit. The clog forces the air from other areas besides the vents to enter the drains and helps push the wastewater. The other culprit could be clogged in your drain lines because they prevent the wastewater from flowing with ease.
As a result, you will hear the sound of the water being deflected by the blockage. Whenever you hear such sounds, have a drain cleaning service provider come over and inspect your drainage system. The professional will use many drain cleaning techniques to ensure that your drains are clean and clear of clogs.
Gurgling or Bubbling Toilet Water
Does the water in your toilet gurgle or bubble whenever you flush it? That is usually a sign that your bathroom drains have a clog. You might also notice this whenever you run your bathroom sink. Bathroom drains may be clogged by hair, flushing toilet wipes, female sanitary materials, soap particles, and napkins, among many other items. You can avert this issue by only flushing the flushable items down the drains. However, if the drains are already clogged, it is time to have a plumber come over for a drain cleaning service.
Reliable and Thorough Plumbing Service Providers
Have you noticed any drainage issues above in your Mansfield, TX home? Then it is time for drain cleaning service. Call our reliable, licensed, professional plumbers at Benjamin Franklin Plumbing of Fort Worth for a thorough and prompt drain cleaning service.