Updated April 5, 2024
Ideally, your drains should be cleaned by a professional plumber at least once a year. Professional drain cleaning helps prevent clogged sinks, backed-up toilets, and other issues that may be plaguing your home plumbing system. Sadly, this bit of maintenance is often overlooked by homeowners. Many people don’t realize that their drains need to be cleaned until it’s too late and they must contend with a large plumbing bill.
As with everything else in your home, it pays to keep an eye on your plumbing to know when your drains need to be cleaned professionally. Here are 10 things that will alert you.
1. Standing Water
Whether you’re dealing with a bathroom sink that won’t drain completely or standing in ankle-deep water when you’re taking a shower, standing water is never a good sign in your home. Even if the water eventually drains, it’s still a sign that there is something very wrong with your plumbing that needs to be addressed.
2. Slow Drains
If you notice that it takes longer than usual for the water in your sinks or bathtubs to drain, you likely have a clog forming somewhere. This might be a minor inconvenience now, but the problem will get worse if it isn’t addressed soon. A professional drain cleaning service can remove the growing clog and any other debris before it plugs up your drain completely.
3. Foul Odors Coming From Your Drains
If you notice bad smells, such as rotten eggs, that won’t go away no matter how much you clean, your drains might be the culprit. Food particles can get stuck in the drain in your kitchen sink and begin to rot, bathroom drains can get clogged with hair and soap, and sewer lines can become blocked. This can happen even when your drains appear to be working properly, so don’t ignore bad smells coming from your drains, especially when they keep getting worse.
4. Frequent Clogs
Everyone has to deal with clogged drains occasionally. Sometimes it’s just a matter of the wrong thing getting flushed down the toilet or too many food particles getting washed down the kitchen sink. When this happens, you probably grab a plunger or some liquid drain cleaner and take care of it. That’s all well and good, but what happens when the problem comes back a week later? If this is the case, there is likely something deeper down in your pipes that is causing the problem.
If you have frequent clogs in one or more of your drains, don’t assume that you can keep fixing the problem with a plunger or some liquid drain cleaner. You might be making the problem worse if your cleaner of choice contains too many caustic ingredients. Over time, caustic drain cleaners can damage your pipes by corroding them, which is why no plumber recommends homeowners use them. Contact Thermo Direct to schedule a drain cleaning and inspection.
5. Gurgling Sounds
You might notice some gurgling sounds coming from your sink or shower even when the drains seem to be working just fine. This is a sign that something is building up somewhere in your plumbing. It may not be a problem now, but it could become one later. If you hear too much gurgling when your kitchen or bathroom sink is draining and you haven’t had your drains cleaned recently, it’s time to call a plumber before things get worse.
6. Water Backup
Nobody likes the idea of water backing up through their drains. When it happens, it’s almost always dirty water with a foul smell. Not only is this a serious health hazard, but it can cause water damage and mold growth in your home if it goes unchecked. It’s also a sign that there is some kind of blockage in your plumbing system that needs to be cleaned out. Contact us for a drain cleaning right away if this is happening anywhere in your home.
7. A Fruit Fly Infestation
True to their name, fruit flies usually show up in your home if you have overly ripe or rotting fruit and vegetables in your kitchen. The best solution to this problem is obviously to clear out any old fruits and vegetables and thoroughly clean your kitchen. If you’ve already done this and you’re still seeing tiny flies everywhere, your problem might be a dirty drain. Food particles can get caught in your garbage disposal or sink drain, which can naturally attract flies.
8. Frequently Overflowing Toilets
Like clogged sinks and bathtubs, everyone has to deal with a clogged and overflowing toilet sometimes. All it takes is for someone to flush too much toilet paper or something that doesn’t belong in your sewage system, and you find yourself having to clean up a flooded bathroom. And yet, sometimes toilets overflow for seemingly no reason. If this is the case, there is likely a blockage somewhere in your drain system that requires professional plumbing services.
9. Multiple Clogged Drains
It is possible to have only one clogged drain in your home that can be cleared without too much trouble. On the other hand, plumbing problems rarely affect just a single drain. All the drains in your home connect to a main sewer line, so you will likely see clogs in multiple drains if it’s obstructed. This is not something that you can fix yourself, so contact us right away to fix the problem.
10. The Clog Will Not Resolve Despite Your Best Efforts
If you have plunged your drains, cleaned them with vinegar and baking soda mix, and flushed them with boiling water and still see no improvements, you have a larger problem on your hands that needs immediate attention. The blockage is too deep for you to reach, and it will require special equipment to remove it. Special equipment, such as a hydrojetting machine, must only be operated by someone with special training and experience because when operated incorrectly, such equipment can cause safety hazards or damage to your home plumbing system.
Contact Thermo Direct for a Professional Drain Cleaning
Even if your plumbing seems to be working just fine most of the time, you should still schedule a professional drain cleaning at least once a year. If it’s been over a year since you’ve had your drains cleaned or you notice any of the signs outlined above, contact Thermo Direct for assistance. Thermo Direct has served homeowners in Raleigh, NC, and the surrounding areas since 2000, and we have gained a stellar reputation for our professional and friendly service. In addition to drain cleaning, we also provide water heater installation, electrical repairs, and heating and cooling services. All our technicians are NATE-certified, and our company is certified by the BBB, NCI, BPI, and Energy Star.
For more information about our drain cleaning services or any of the other services that we offer, contact Thermo Direct in Raleigh, NC today. We also offer services for water heaters, leak detection, as well as heating, cooling, and electrical services.
