How to Deal With Blocked Drains

Blocked drains are some of the most common plumbing problems in Australia. The issue may seem harmless at first, but a blocked drain can lead to significant water damage around your home.

A blocked drain can cause a sink, bath or shower to overflow and damage the interior of your home. But blockages can also occur underground or in your walls, and you may not notice the damage until it’s too late.

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That’s why it’s important to address blocked drains in Ipswich as soon as you notice a problem. Depending on the severity of the issue, you may be able to fix the blockage yourself, or you may need to call professional help.

In this article, we’ll discuss the symptoms and causes of drain blockages, as well as some tips on how you can clear a drain quickly.

Signs of a Blocked Drain

A drain that’s completely clogged is easy to spot. Drains that are only partially blocked can be trickier to deal with. If you notice any of the following symptoms, you may have a partial blockage in your drains:

1. Sinks that are slow to drain – If you pull the plug and your sink takes too long to drain, it’s probably partially blocked. This is your first warning sign and it’s the best time to call a plumber.
2. Drains that smell foul – Most waste drains are designed to prevent sewer gases from rising into your home. A blocked drain usually allows sewer gases to pass back through the pipe, which leads to foul smells.
3. Gurgling noises – A drain that gurgles can be a sign of a blockage or an air leak. You’ll need to contact a plumber to determine the cause of the gurgling.

These symptoms can occur in any of the drains around your home – including outdoor drains and gutter systems. In fact, blocked drains are most common outside the home, when leaves, dirt and debris are washed into your drainage system.

The best way to spot a blocked stormwater drain is to watch your gutters when it’s raining. If the gutters are struggling to keep up with demand, or if there’s lots of water pooling on the ground around your property, it’s probably a drainage issue.

What Causes Blocked Drains?

There are dozens of causes for blocked drains. Some of the most common include:

• Buildups or dirt and silt
• Foreign objects
• Clumps of soap and hair
• Food scraps
• Cooking oils
• Invading tree roots

Tree roots are one of the leading causes of blocked drains. This issue occurs when tree roots are able to invade a pipe through small cracks or faulty joints. When this happens, the tree roots quickly multiply inside the pipe, and they can completely block the passage of water.

Dealing with tree roots is a job best left to the professionals. Plumbers have the appropriate equipment to remove root clumps and repair the damaged section of pipe.

How to Deal With Blocked Drains

Clearing a blocked drain can be a serious challenge. It’s best to avoid over the counter caustic cleaning chemicals wherever possible. Instead, you can try one of the following methods to deal with a blocked drain:

1. Boiling water – You can clear a blockage that’s caused by things like soap or cooking oil using boiling water. Simply boil a large pot of water and then slowly pour it down the drain to flush the blockage away. You may need to do this multiple times.
2. Natural cleaner – Natural cleaning compounds like bicarbonate of soda and vinegar can clear some times of blockages. You can use these after pouring boiling water down the drain to maximise the effectiveness.
3. Plunger – A simple plunger can clear blockages caused by foreign objects, like toiletries. When using a plunger, you’re aiming to draw the foreign object up into the sink or toilet, rather than trying to push it further along the drain.
4. Drain snake – Most blockages will need to be dealt with using a drain snake. Plumbers drain snakes are long, large-diameter pipe cleaners that can clear most clogs. These can be purchased from most hardware stores.
5. Call a plumber – A blocked drain can quickly turn into serious flooding inside your home. For best results, you should contact a plumber as soon as you notice signs of a blockage.

Calling a plumber is the best way to deal with a blockage. Plumbers carry specialty tools like drain snakes and water jetters that can make short work of most blockages.

Working with a plumber also ensures your drains won’t be damaged in the process. Tools like drain snakes have the potential to damage old pipes when used improperly, but a plumber can minimise that risk.

Collapsed Pipes vs Blocked Drains

Collapsed or damaged pipes are a common plumbing problem. They’re also difficult to repair, often requiring your plumbing to be excavated and partially replaced. This can cost thousands of dollars and require structural repairs to your home or property.

Unfortunately, collapsed pipes often present like blocked drains, and it can be tough to tell the difference. In both cases you’ll experience sinks that smell foul or are slow to drain. The only way to determine which problem you’re dealing with is to call a plumber.

Plumbers carry specialty CCTV equipment that can be inserted along the length of the drain pipe. This is a non-destructive way to inspect the interior of a drain pipe and locate the collapsed section.

The main benefit of calling a plumber is that they’re able to pinpoint the exact location of the damage. That way, they can minimize the amount of excavation that’s required to repair the pipe.