Plumber in san marcos

Clogged Drain or Drain Cleaning? What’s the Difference?

Perhaps your sink or shower are draining slowly or simply does not drain at all. You might start by trying to clean out the drain of the sink or shower, hoping that it is simply excess hair. However, the truth is that it could be more than that, thus causing potential problems for your entire home’s plumbing in San Marcos.

First, let’s learn how your drains work and what typically causes clogs or other issues. Then we will discuss what the options are to get your drains working effectively again once more.

What Clogs a Drain?

The drains of every sink, toilet, and showers all feed into one large drain that will remove the wastewater from everywhere in your home. Before all that water feeds into the drain and then travels to the sewer pipe, water from the sinks and likely your shower will be filter through a p-trap. That p-trap is meant to capture any potential gunk before it gets into the drain and clogs it.

The biggest culprits of clogged drains are food, grease, hair, oil, and non-flushable items that end up getting flushed down your toilet, like wipes or sanitary products. Whatever you send down the sinks or the toilets is going to have to travel through the plumbing to reach the sewer pipes. If it gets stuck anywhere along the way, that piece of debris can start catching other items and you can end up with a clogged drain.

To prevent a clogged drain, avoid putting grease, coffee grinds, or food down your sinks. Instead, put the grease into a jar and throw it out, thus protecting your pipes from potential clogs.

Therefore, if you notice one sink draining slowly but not the others, then you might have a clog at the p-trap. By cleaning that out, you might fix the issues with that sink right away. However, if you notice that the slow draining is an issue throughout your home, it might require more intense intervention to correct your plumbing in San Marcos.

From the Drain to the Sewer

If all the sinks, toilets, and showers are demonstrating a slow drain or simply not draining at all, then it is unlikely a clog within one pipe or another, a problem that could be addressed by cleaning the drain or the p-trap. It means that likely your sewer pipe leading away from your home has a clog or backup. That will lead to eventually having wastewater and sewerage backing up into your home.

A sewer cleaning involves snaking a line through your sewer pipe from the street to your home. Doing so will break up any buildup that has formed, thus eliminating the issue that is keeping your plumbing from working properly.

Roots from trees can also end up growing into your sewer lines and causing damage, as well as blockage. A root can even end up growing right through the sewer line, requiring that piece of piping be replaced. Unfortunately, if this happens on a section of the sewer that is not your property, then you will have to contact your municipality to address the sewer cleaning and any pipe replacement that might be necessary.

However, if it happens on your property, then you will be responsible for the costs associated with caring for that pipe and any cleaning.

Determining If It Is a Clogged Pipe or Drain Issue

If you are having issues with drainage throughout your home, it is important to have a licensed plumber out to evaluate whether you just need to have the drains inside your home cleaned or if a sewer cleaning is warranted. They can help you to avoid the potential issues that could come from backup related to a clogged drain or clogged sewer pipe.

Contact our team today to have your plumbing checked completely and any slow drains or other plumbing issues addressed.

Proactive Plumbing has provided dependable plumbing services, installations, and repair for more than 15 years. We service Oceanside, Carlsbad, Encinitas, Vista, San Marcos, Escondido and other areas of San Diego County.