How to Know if Your Home Needs Drain Cleaning
If your drains need to be unclogged, there's a good chance you already know about it. However, it may not always be obvious that drain cleaning is the best solution, as opposed to merely unclogging a stopped drain.
You may need professional drain cleaning help if you notice problems such as:
- Multiple drains in your home are slow
- One or more drains in your home require repeated unclogging
- Foul odors emanating from one or more of your home's drains
- Different plumbing fixtures in your home tend to clog at the same time
When you call Steve's 5 Star Service for help, we will dive in right away so that you can get back to life as usual. We can help you determine the best long-term solution to your drainage issues, and we also provide routine drain cleaning to help prevent further problems. It is recommended that you have your home's drains cleaned out every 1-3 years.
Common Culprits Behind Stinky Drains & Smelly Water
- Ventilation Problems. Your pipes can get clogged over time due to a build up things like food particles, soap scum, hair, or foreign objects. Other reasons for clogged drains include animals building nests or even intrusion from tree roots. Whatever the reason that your pipes get clogged, air isn't allowed to flow freely and bacteria grows, causing a foul odor. What's more is that sewer gases are blocked and end up back in your home, which is another reason for the bad smell. A professional drain cleaning service can fix this problem.
- Water Heater Problems. Pour water into a glass and walk away from the tap. Does the water still smell in the glass? If yes, your water heater may be to blame. The warm, moist environment of your water heater is the perfect place for bacteria to grow, which will create a bad smell. The anode rod, which is present in the water heater to keep it from rusting, reacts with the bacteria, creating the awful scent. This happens most often if the water heater has been shut off for an extended period or if you've got it set at too low a temperature. Typically this odor has a “rotten egg” smell.
- P-Trap Problems. The P-trap is easy to identify: it's the curved part under attached to the pipe under the sink. Its job is to provide a water barrier to prevent smelly gases moving from the sewer into your home. If the P-trap has dried out, then the water barrier isn't present. It can be as easy to fix as running the water. It's also possible that the water has leaked out if the seal is broken, which can be fixed easily too.
- Sewer Line Problems. Walk around to all of your drains and fixtures. Is the odor present in numerous areas in your home? It's not a clogged drain or pipe. The problem probably the sewer line, which is potentially damaged. It's not carrying wastewater properly, and sewage isn't draining away from your home. This odor is decidedly musky. Other signs that it might be a sewer problem include low water pressure and a mysteriously rising water bill.
Call Steve's 5 Star Service today to schedule a free estimate for any plumbing service. You can reach a live person 24 hours a day, and we're standing by to assist you. We also provide 24/7 emergency plumbing. Call us at (909) 985-5254 or fill out the online form to get started.
