Blocked and backed up drains are absolutely awful. Water pools in your sink or tub and can just sit there, growing dangerous bacteria and smelling terrible. Fortunately, most clogged drains can be handled rapidly with a quick visit from Clog Busters LLC or even from an enterprising DIYer with great plunger skills.
However, there are times when your drains will need semi-regular maintenance, or your sewer needs an overhaul. We have covered the sewer issues that can cause drain clogs in past articles. In this article, we will talk about why and when you will need to set up a maintenance schedule for your drains.
Historic Home Preservation
Here in Portland, we have many historical homes with older plumbing. While most drain backups in these homes are caused by root intrusion, rusty pipes, or displaced piping, the problem can occasionally be due to the age of your home and its pipes.
We always recommend that drains in older homes be maintained by professionals instead of by blasting them with store bought chemicals. This is because the pipes in these homes are often very thin-walled due to age and rust. Regular maintenance on these older pipes can both resolve and prevent backups. Your other option is, of course, to replace the piping in your plumbing system. Most homeowners don’t wish to do such invasive work on their historic homes unless they are doing a full remodel.
Homes with Human-Caused Blockages
Family homes which host many children are most likely going to have more maintenance problems than a home with no children. As the kids grow up, they are likely to flush things down the toilets or sinks that are going to jam up the pipes. If you are a parent with youngsters who are just learning how things work, you are likely going to encounter drain problems when the kids use the toilet or sink as a tub for dolls or a race track for small model cars.
While you are teaching your kids about what should or should not go down a drain, you may want to get onto a temporary drain maintenance schedule until all of your children and their friends grow old enough to understand the proper use of your drains.
Other Plumbing Problems
Many homes that have constant issues with the drains are actually experiencing sewer issues like root intrusion, offset pipes, improper pipe grading, sagging pipes, or even a broken pipe. While drain maintenance may help abate the symptoms of your sewer issue temporarily, it will be cheaper in the long run for us to find the root problem and get that fixed, instead of constantly coming out to unclog your pipes.
Do you have drain maintenance needs? Contact Clog Busters LLC today! We are available for scheduled maintenance or for emergency unclogging at any hour of the day.