Drain Cleaning Services in Jupiter

Drains are installed throughout our homes. Drains are generally there to handle water flowing out of your home and into the sewage system, like the water that you flush down the toilet or the water that drains from your dishwasher following a cleaning cycle. Common items that are connected to drains include bathroom and kitchen sinks, washing machines, showers, bathtubs, dishwashers, toilets, and sewers.

In addition to drains, traps also help water flow from your home. Traps are installed in drainpipes. They are devices that allow water to flow out of your home without allowing other things to enter your home, such as sewer odors and gas, bacteria, and insects. Traps are sealed using wastewater. Whenever we use an appliance that connects to a drain line, like a sink, dishwasher, toilet, washing machine, or shower, the wastewater that seals the trap is flushed out and some of the wastewater from the appliance we used forms a new seal. There are several different types of traps designed to handle different kinds of drainage situations, including but not limited to Q-traps, floor traps, P-traps, grease traps, S-traps, bottle traps, drum traps, and gully traps.

Can a Clogged Drain Cause Low Water Pressure?

Just as water uses a system of pipes to drain from a home, it also flows in using pipes. When those pipes become clogged, it can cause your water pressure to drop. In fact, one of the most likely causes of low water pressure is a clog. This is especially true for older homes with iron pipes. Those types of pipes can rust, and that rust can break off and clog areas along the pipeline, including valves and aerators. Those clogs then cause the water traveling through the pipes to flow slower and lose pressure. Other causes of clogs in pipes include algae that have built up in the pipes and tiny chunks of plastic that have broken off the water heater or other plastic fixtures along the pipeline.

Other reasons for low water pressure can include:

• Water Meter Valve: If this valve is not fully open, it can slow down water flow and cause low water pressure.
• Water Pressure Regulator: This device controls the pressure of the water entering your home. The purpose of the water pressure regulator is to protect your plumbing. It does this by making sure that the water pressure remains at a safe level. If the water pressure regulator malfunctions or breaks completely, the water pressure is likely to rise or fall significantly.
• House Shutoff Valve: Just like the water meter, if this valve is not all the way open, the water pressure can drop.

Do I Need a Plumber for a Clogged Drain?

While there are some instances where you may feel like you can unclog a drain without professional help, minor clogs are often a symptom of larger problems. 

If a plumber handles a minor clog, they can sometimes diagnose other issues before they cause major damage and cost you big money down the road, including:

• No water
• Backed up/overflowing toilets, sinks, showers, tubs, dishwashers, and washing machines
• Pipe leaks and burst pipes
• Running toilets and dripping faucets
• Hardwood floor or carpet damage
• Water, mildew, and mold damage
• Water pressure that’s too low or too high
• Root infiltration, which involves roots from trees damaging a drainpipe or the connection point between a drainpipe and the sewer
• Sagging sewer lines (often due to changing ground/soil conditions), which can create a space for a clog to build
• Damage from items being sent down the drain or flushed down the toilet (paper towels, baby wipes, grease, feminine products, oils, soap scum, hair, fats, food waste, diapers, dirt, a large amount of toilet paper, toys, cat litter, leaves and other plant life, and cotton swabs)
• Water heater, sewer line, sprinkler system, or septic tank damage
• Shower/tub leaks
• Flood, standing water, and sewage odor damage

Having a plumbing service professionally clean the drains and traps in and around your home is not uncommon. In fact, it is a necessary part of properly maintaining almost any residence. Over time, drains and traps can age, malfunction, and succumb to wear and tear.

Traps in older homes can become particularly hazardous and costly to repair if not properly maintained. As the traps age, they begin to corrode and stop working correctly. If a trap stops working correctly, it can lead to wastewater building up in drains and backing up into a home. Trap blockages can also cause sewer lines to burst and depending on how far underground that sewer line is buried, it can be very expensive to repair/replace.

Still, as difficult as unclogging/repairing traps can be, unclogging/repairing drains is no picnic either. One of the most difficult drain clogs to remove/repair is when the sewer main drain is clogged. The main drain is what carries wastewater from your home to the sewer. If it becomes clogged, it is a huge problem that will require immediate attention.

The steps for cleaning or repairing a sewer main drain are:

• Find and access the main drain’s clean-out fitting. The only way to reach clogs in the sewer main drain is through the clean-out fitting.
• If the sewer main drain does not have a clean-out fitting, one will have to be installed.
• If the clog is unable to be removed after accessing the clean-out fitting and using a sewer drain snake to try to remove it, the sewer main drain may have to be replaced, which is extremely expensive.

Regularly having your drains and traps professionally inspected and cleaned may be able to help you avoid plumbing problems, like a clogged sewer main drain. In addition, you should try to keep your drains/traps as clean as possible between professional inspections and cleanings.

Tips for Keeping Drains Clean

There are a few things that homeowners can do to keep their drains and traps clean:

• Have P-traps under sinks inspected and cleaned yearly.
• Clean hair from shower drains.
• If you’re unsure, always check to make sure it’s okay to pour liquids down your sink drain. (Especially thick liquids.) For instance, never pour grease down a sink drain.
• Double-check before you put something down the garbage disposal. There are several items that you might think a garbage disposal can handle that it can’t, such as potato peels, eggshells, large animal bones, peach pits, and coffee grounds.

Cleaning drains/traps is sometimes just a matter of clearing stoppages and clogs that have stopped up or slowed the drain using a drum snake, hand snake, or closet/toilet auger. However, the difference between doing it yourself and having a plumber do it is that a plumber will know how to do it without damaging the drain/trap or any of its vital parts. A plumber will also be able to inspect drains/traps and recognize when they need to be replaced or if more advanced cleaning techniques are necessary, which can help limit costs in the long term.