A Drip of Elegance on Long Island
A sink, tub, or shower that drains slowly can be frustrating and messy. If you try using drain cleaner but still experience frequent clogs, your plumbing problems could be further down the line and out of reach. Are you experiencing any of these common signs you need drain cleaning? If so, it’s time to call a plumber for professional drain cleaning.
Sign Your Drains May Need to be Professionally Cleaned
1. Slippery Surfaces
Slow-draining water will lead to a slippery, hazardous shower floor surface. If you notice your feet slipping around when you stand in the bathtub or move in and out of the shower, it could be because there is a soapy buildup that is clinging to the floor and not draining properly.
2. Discoloration Around the Drain
Standing water in your tub or sink will eventually result in water damage and discoloration on the surface of your basins. This type of water stain is the hardest to clean and does not come up easily. Even if you scrub them every week, you are still only addressing the symptom of a drainage problem instead of fixing the root cause.
3. Frequent Clogs
Gunky buildup inside your drains causes frequent, persistent clogs. And pouring large amounts of drain cleaner into your plumbing system could damage your pipes. If you’ve tried pouring one bottle of cleaner down the drain and the clog remains, it’s time to call a professional plumber to fix the problem.
4. Bad-Smelling Odors
A foul odor from a drain issue won’t go away, no matter how much you clean your sink or shower. This is because the problem is beneath the surface. Particles can build up deep in the pipes and start to grow mold and start to smell. They may even attract pests like fruit flies over time.
5. Gurgling Noises
If your water runs smoothly down the drain, but you hear a gurgle or gulping sound near the end, there is likely a partial clog in your drain. Drains have a venting system to help drain water by creating a vacuum effect. Problems with the venting system that prevent air from moving in and out result in the gurgling sounds you may hear when you flush your toilet or drain water out of your sink.
6. Overflowing Toilets
Toilets in your home that overflow onto your bathroom floor are one of the most unpleasant symptoms of drain clogs. If one or more of your toilets is not flushing correctly and frequently overflow, you could have a clog in your sewer line. It is necessary to call a professional plumber at this point to clear clogs in this part of your plumbing system.
If you experience any of these signs you need drain cleaning, and your best efforts haven’t fixed the issue, it’s time to bring in professional help. For drain cleaning services in Long Island, call Arco Plumbing Group at (516)-478-8353
Getting Rid of Clogged Drains
A clogged sink drain or toilet can cause a major commotion in any household. You don’t realize how imperative these systems are until you cannot use them, right? So what do you do when you find a pesky clogged drain, is the question.
While most people will first try store-bought drain cleaner, there are other ways to resolve a clog. And we want you to use them! As plumbing experts, we do not recommend chemical drain cleaners. When it comes to drain and sewer cleaning in Long Island, NY, we have you covered.
Why chemical drain cleaners are not the way!
We’ll give this credit to chemical drain cleaners: the companies that manufacture them know how to market them. They’ve made these bottles of caustic chemicals seem like the obvious go-to solution for handling all types of drain clogs, and they make sure you can find them easily in every grocery store. The truth is that these store-bought “drain cleaners” are bad news.
- They don’t do a complete job. The chemicals will only eat enough of a hole through a blockage to allow water to flow again. All the detritus left behind will help clogs come back soon.
- They are harmful to drain and sewer lines because of their hard acidic action. They degrade piping materials, and because of a reaction they have with soap scum, they can rapidly ruin otherwise durable plastic piping.
- They’re incredibly toxic and not something you want hanging around the house if you have kids or pets. Aside from the danger of ingesting them, these chemicals will burn skin and create serious eye, nose, throat, and lung irritation.
- They’re awful for the environment, often ending up in landfill and leaking toxins into the groundwater.
The Unclogging Methods That DO Work
There are three other methods you can use to clear out a clogged sink or drain. The first two might not work, but they’re easy and inexpensive to try before calling for backup.
- Use a sink or toilet plunger. We recommend having both of these easily available in your home. These are two different types of plungers. Each one has a different shape to fit the specific use.
- Use a drain auger/drain snake. These are simple tools you can send down into the drain to break apart clogs or pull them out. Augers can be as basic as plastic strips with barbs on them, or they can be made of entwined metal with a hand crank that can drill down into tougher clogs.
- Call professional plumbers. If you can’t get rid of a clog with the above methods, don’t reach for the chemical drain cleaners in frustration. Reach out to Arco Plumbing to unclog and clear your drains, preventing future problems from happening again.
