Ask a Middletown Plumber: What Causes My Drains to Clog?

Easy Fix or Tough Job, Jones Services Will Get it Done

The question of what clogs your drains is one we cannot give a simple answer to, as there are a number of different causes. Some may result in a sluggish drain, but others could turn out to be a serious problem.

In order for you to be a well-prepared homeowner, though, it would be good to know what those main causes are and if there is anything you can do to prevent them.

Top Ten Reasons for Drain Clogs

1. Tree roots: Trust us, this problem is worse than you think. Once they make their way in to your pipes, they grow and expand until your drains are so blocked up nothing can get through. At that point, our team can come out with our water jetting equipment that will rid you of your tree root problem. To prevent this, you can use a liquid tree root killer periodically.
2. Inappropriate items being flushed down the toilet: If you can avoid flushing large amounts of toilet paper, toothbrushes, children’s toys, or feminine hygiene product down the toilet, we’d suggest doing it.
3. Incorrectly installed piping: While this is something you couldn’t have predicted, it is something you can help prevent in the future. And, it’s simple – Call Jones Services to have the piping installed correctly the second time around.
4. Outside debris getting stuck in the line: If mud, clay, grass, or other elements find their way inside your drain line it will stop it up. The bigger problem, though? They are in your line because there’s an opening in it which means now you have a rupture and a clog to deal with.
5. Line breakages: A good way to check if this is the problem you are having is to look and see if there’s a pile of debris building up in one location.
6. Grease: Did you know grease is one of the worst culprits of clogged drain lines? Unfortunately, you find grease on almost everything you want to throw down your kitchen drain, so just be a little bit more cautious!
7. Sagging sewer lines: This will cause your drains to slow down and back up.
8. Too much food in the garbage disposal: Actually, it’s more than that. There are certain items that should never be put in the disposal – potato skins, coffee grinds, starchy or stringy vegetables, among other foods. Watch what you put down there.
9. Collapsed sewer line: In the event this is what’s causing your backup, you will probably need a replacement line. That does require some excavation, but we will make sure we try and do it with as least destruction as possible.
10. Not maintained: Yet another thing that’s out of your control. If the municipal government doesn’t properly maintain the sewer line, you could be dealing with someone else’s back up.

No matter the cause, or how severe, trust that Jones Services will get it cleared – and fast. Call us today!