How do you know if your drain is blocked? Sometimes the problem makes itself quite obvious. Other times it can be more difficult to diagnose.
Are you trying to figure out if your drain is blocked? Check out these 4 telltale signs that you need to take action and clear out your blocked drain before it causes further problems.
1. A Basin That Takes Forever to Drain
When you pull the plug after a bath, the water should rush away down the drain fairly quickly. If it doesn’t do that or if the basin fills up while washing dishes or washing your face without the drain plug in place, something’s wrong.
Drains should flow briskly to avoid the possibility of overflowing and causing damage to your home.
2. An Overflowing Basin
If the problem has escalated from a slow-draining drain to a basin that is overflowing, you’ve got something serious on your hands.
The first thing to do is shut off the water and strive to make sure it doesn’t keep overflowing. Be mindful of the water that overflows out of your drains, especially the toilet one. It could be potentially hazardous to your health.
3. A Gross Smell
Is there a gross smell coming out of your drain? Do you imagine a cloud of green smoke billowing out of the basin because of the smell you notice when you get close?
It’s easy for drains to fill up with rancid-smelling gunk. Bits of debris get washed down the drain but can be snagged by constricted spots or other rough areas inside the pipe.
As this gunk piles up, the smell gets stronger. After all, it’s essentially a clot of rotting garbage having a heyday in your pipe.
4. Gurgle Sounds
Our previous suggestions involved diagnosing a blocked drain with your eyes and your nose. For this method, you need to use your ears.
What happens when you unplug a full basin? First, the water rushes toward the drain, then it gets backed up in the entrance to the pipe. You’ll often hear gurgling sounds as any trapped air rushes to escape.
The same thing can happen with a blocked drain. Somewhere inside the pipe, a blockage is causing the water to back up and trap air.
What Do You Do With a Blocked Drain?
Are your drains showing one or more of these problems? You can be fairly certain you have a blocked drain to deal with. But what do you do?
Sometimes, you can clear it on your own by dumping baking soda and vinegar down the drain or physically clearing it with a toilet plunger.
Other times, you may need a plumber to further diagnose your blockage. It isn’t always easy to find a blockage, but professionals have miniature cameras that help them find the blockage and see what it’s made of. From there, they can choose the right method of clearing the drain.
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