If water fills your tub or sink when the tap runs, then takes a while to drain, that fixture’s drain may be clogged. It’s a common occurrence that many homeowners treat lightly, but a clogged drain may lead to serious plumbing problems. It can create leaks that damage the structure, contaminate your water, attract pests, and more. Nevertheless, some simple steps help prevent drain clogs, and a professional drain cleaning service can resolve any that arise.

No matter what plumbing issues you encounter, turn to Hicks Plumbing Service to resolve them. We serve home and business owners throughout the Vienna, VA, area. Along with drain cleaning, our services include water heater repair, plumbing repair, water line replacement, trenchless sewer repair, and more. Contact us today to learn more about how our technicians can help resolve your plumbing issues.

Below, we outline some effects of clogged drains as well as steps that can prevent them:

Consequences of Clogged Drains

We’ve discussed the signs of clogged drains, so we will build upon that to consider the consequences of clogs. These include:

• Plumbing leaks – when water backs up in clogged fixtures, it has a chance to seep through caulking and seals. Moreover, a leak may be so small that it escapes notice, allowing mold to grow or puddles to form.

• Structural damage – Minor and major leaks allow water into vulnerable areas, such as beneath sinks or on bathroom floors. Moreover, clogs lead to water backflow, which can soak and thereby weaken home foundations. Flooding may even occur if you have a significant enough leak in your home.

• Foul odor – once you consider all the substances that go down a drain, you can understand how a clogged one will smell. Clogged pipes allow these materials to sit and bacteria to grow. Then, the smell that they create may travel to other parts of your home.

• Water contamination – once waste backs up and bacteria start to grow, the risk of contamination rises. Any substances placed in the sink/tub sit near that bacteria and waste; plus, water backflow can bring those substances into your fixtures. Waste and bacteria lead to health risks, including bacterial infections.

• Pests – Backed-up pipes and waste also attract insects such as mosquitoes and fruit flies. These annoying pests find their way into homes and then live around the stagnant water of clogged drains. They present additional health risks, as they often carry bacteria.

If your home (or a loved one’s) has a clogged drain, reach out to our drain cleaning service professionals. You can damage your plumbing by trying to fix it without expertise, which would require time and money to repair. Instead, have it done by a professional the first time.

How to Prevent Clogged Drains

• Keep food, coffee grounds, and grease out of kitchen drains – we’ve listed materials you should avoid putting down the drain before, but we emphasize our point about foods. As described above, food clogs can lead to bacterial build-up and health risks.
  
  Instead, deposit leftover food in your trash or compost. Also, avoid pouring grease down the kitchen drain, since it hardens when cooled and can build to a clog. Instead, put it in the trash or take it to a recycling center.

• Prevent hair and soap scum from washing down bathroom drains – to catch hair and soap scum, cover your tub/shower drains with a mesh screen or a perforated hair catcher. These products collect hair while allowing water to run through the screen. They are widely available at home improvement stores. You might achieve the same effect by replacing your shower/tub stopper with one that has a built-in screen.
  
  Furthermore, brush your hair before showering or bathing. Doing so keeps loose hair out of the tub and away from the drain. Finally, if you bathe your dog in the tub, put a washcloth over the drain. The amount of hair a dog sheds during a bath can clog a standard drain hair catcher.

• Watch what you flush – toilets are designed to handle human waste and toilet paper, yet people flush all kinds of substances down them. Dense, stringy, or bulky materials–such as dental floss, feminine hygiene products, and household waste–can cause a clog. Again, use common sense and deposit such items into the trash.

Professional Drain Cleaning and Plumbing Repair Available in Vienna, VA

While a professional can fix a clogged drain with relative ease, this issue still requires prompt action. So, ask for professional drain cleaning ASAP from a local service provider: Hicks Plumbing Service. We provide a range of plumbing services–including emergency repair–throughout the Vienna, VA, area. Our team aims to provide top-notch customer service and expert advice and all plumbing problems. To learn more or to schedule a service, call us today at (703) 803-7466 or fill out our online form now.