Drain cleaning is an important service that plumbers offer to residential homes. Everyone deals with clogged or slow drains at some point, and when simple unclogging methods don’t work, it’s a good idea to make summoning a pro plumber the next step.
Drain cleaning isn’t just for dealing with clogs and other drain obstructions. We recommend our customers schedule drain cleaning in Rochester, NY as a routine maintenance job. For most homes, we recommend drain cleaning once a year. There’s no specific season that’s better for drain cleaning than others, although many people find it convenient to have done at the start of the year, right after the holidays have given the drains more work than normal. Our plumbers at Triple-O use the best equipment, like hydro-jetters, to provide top-quality drain cleaning for our customers.
Common Causes of Drain Clogs
The most common reasons for slow or clogged drains are:
- Mineral deposits from hard water
- Soap scum build-up
- Hair in the p-trap
- Food waste deposits, particularly build-up of fats, oil, and grease
- Small objects, often children’s toys or caps from bathroom items
In some cases, you can unclog a stuck drain using a plunger. We encourage all homeowners to have both sink and toilet plungers handy so they can rapidly solve simple clogs.
Should I Use Chemicals to Unclog a Drain?
If a plunger doesn’t work at unclogging your drain, do not make chemical drain cleaners your next option. We know it’s tempting and easy to purchase these “cleaners,” but they are terrible for drains. The caustic action may eat through a clog, but it can eat through the inner part of the pipe as well and cause corrosion. The chemicals are also only temporarily effective, as they leave most of the clog behind. Finally, these chemicals are highly toxic and can harm your skin and eyes just from their vapor.
When Should I Shut Off My Water?
Drain clogs aren’t usually a reason to shut off the water to your house since the water main is bringing in freshwater and the clogs are affecting the wastewater side of your plumbing. If you call us for emergency service, our plumbers will tell you over the phone if it’s best to shut off the water. They can tell you how as well.
How Can I Prevent Drain Clogs?
A bit of vigilance goes a long way in stopping clogs: try to keep fats, oils, and grease from the kitchen drains and never flush anything down a toilet that isn’t human waste and toilet paper.
The best method to prevent drain clogs is regular professional drain cleaning. This is why we stress having our team provide drain cleaning once a year. Our powerful hydro-jetters thoroughly clean the interior of drains around your house, leaving the drains in a “like new” condition that makes it harder for more debris to build up in the future.
Call your One-stop Shop for HVAC, Plumbing and Electrical! Triple-O Heating, Cooling, Electrical & Plumbing serves the Rochester area with service so good, you’ll find a reason to call us!