Whether you have a slow drain or a drain that's completely blocked and causing water to back up, you will need to get a plumber out to take a look. Blocked drains can leave your home smelling unpleasant due to bacteria and food debris building up around the site of the blockage, and ignoring a blocked drain could damage a drain pipe or seal due to excess pressure on the drain wall. Limited access to a fully functional drain could also inhibit your ability to bathe, cook and wash your hands, but unless you've dealt with a blocked drain in the past, you may be unsure what to expect when a plumber arrives at your home.
Read on to learn about how plumbers deal with blocked drains and how you can reduce the likelihood of a drain becoming blocked in the future.
What To Expect From Your Plumber
Some blockages are relatively easy to resolve, so a plumber may begin by trying to unblock your drain with a plunger. If this doesn't dislodge the blockage, they will use a drain snake to reach deep into the pipework. This is a flexible wire that extends in length and spirals at the end to allow it to grip onto clumps of debris at the site of the blockage. Your plumber will feed the drain snake into the drain and turn the wire using a handle in the hopes it will catch on to the debris. If this is successful, retracting the drain snake will dislodge the blockage. If the plumber can't unblock the drain with a drain snake, they will need to dismantle the drain pipes to get to the site of the blockage and clear it by hand.
How To Reduce The Risk Of Future Blockages
A plumber can give you advice on how to keep your drains clear, but in general, you will want to ensure you keep food debris and cooking fat out of your drains, as they can solidify and create a blockage that's hard to clear. It's also good practice to keep small items away from plugholes to minimise the risk of anything falling through the plughole and getting stuck in your drain. Consider purchasing a sink strainer for each plughole, as they act like a sieve and can prevent hair, food debris and small toys from slipping through the plughole.
If you turn on your tap and find water backing up in your sink, get a plumber out to deal with the problem as soon as possible, as blockages can worsen over time and become more difficult to resolve. Reach out to a plumbing service near you to learn more.
