A clogged drain can be your worst nightmare if it’s not dealt with quickly and correctly.
People perceive a blocked drain to be an occasional annoyance. But blocked drains are much more annoying and can create many potential issues and costly repairs. A clog in your drain is just the tip of the iceberg.
This guide will go over the most severe consequences of a clogged drain. Aside from that, we’ll share some valuable tips for keeping your drains clear.
So without further ado, let’s dig in!
Damages Caused By A Blocked Drain
A. Flooding
Flooding is probably the most serious consequence of a blocked drain. The water has nowhere to flow in the pipe due to severe blockages but still tries to find a way out. Soon, it starts to backflow, floods your property, and damages the things in the vicinity.
You should know the severe consequences of flooding when dealing with an overflowing bathtub, toilet, or sink. However, the only silver lining is that it’s easier to spot and contain.
However, you may also face “invisible flooding.” You won’t notice any blockage unless water breaks out of the pipe. If the blockage in your drains is serious enough and water stays deposited for longer, there’s always a risk of a burst pipe.
When this happens, you might need to have your chequebook ready and spend thousands of dollars fixing the pipe, walls, floor, and months for repairs! But you can prevent clogged drains that eventually turn into burst pipes by letting your trusted plumber perform a leak detection service in your plumbing system, particularly your drainage systems and drain pipes.
B. Microbes And Bacteria
Aside from burst pipes, flooding and blockages of the drain are also harmful to your overall health. Wastewater can flow backwards in a pipe blockage, creating a breeding ground for harmful microbes and bacteria. And leaving that water unattended for long may lead to contamination and blocked drainage causing serious health issues and bacteria growth.
So, if you don’t want your family to fall sick because of a clogged drain, fix the issue at the earliest.
C. Pest Infestations
A clogged pipe becomes a home for some nasty pests, apart from bacteria and microbes. Stuff like grease, hair, food bits and waste are the primary reasons for a clogged drain. With abundant water and a lovely, smelly ambience, you practically have a buffet for pests!
These pests are not just nasty characters but also carry numerous bacteria and, in turn, severe health problems. It’s therefore essential to stop pests from growing inside the drain; for that, you need to keep it clean and fresh.
D. Mould
Moulds are one of the indicators of how blocked drains damage your home. They can also develop as a result of a clogged drain. They are thread-like filaments that spread fast and create a nuisance for homeowners. These organisms need a particular environment to survive and grow, and a clogged drain delivers just the same.
When a pipe breaks down due to clogs, there’s even a greater chance of mould growth. And they may cause sneezing, coughing, skin rash, throat irritation, lung irritation, etc., which you don’t want.
E. Structural Damage
As blocks develop and get serious and your water flow is impeded, it’s time before your wallet starts getting empty.
When there’s a fountain leak or even flooding, it indicates that the matter has worsened. It can damage your property, including your floor and walls. And to make matters even worse, you might be unable to figure out the clogs from the get-go.
F. Toxic Gases
If a drain stays blocked for long, it becomes a concoction of decaying food products, stagnant water, chemical cleaners, human waste, etc. These erode and generate heavy toxic smells that ooze out and spread into the atmosphere, ultimately making their way to your home.
And the worst thing you can do is use more than one chemical drain product. These chemicals produce incredibly toxic gases like chloroform, chloramine, and chlorine gas; inhaling them for prolonged periods can be fatal.
So, keeping in mind the potential issues of a blocked drain, it’s essential to take the necessary steps to deal with it and ensure a healthy life for you and your family.
Tips To Deal With A Blocked Drain
Now, it’s time for us to share some easy tricks to clear off the clogs festering in your drains and prevent slow drainage and health risks. You can have clean drains without hiring a professional plumber with the right tools and techniques.
A. Using Vinegar And Baking Soda
Many of you might know about the vinegar and baking soda trick as a drain cleaner. Just prepare a mixture of vinegar and baking soda in hot water, pour it into the clogged drain and let it sit for nearly 20 minutes. Then follow it up with more hot water to clear up the clog.
The idea behind this is that the mixture of vinegar and baking soda acts as a corrosive agent that breaks down the clog and clears out the pipe. It even gets rid of the unpleasant smell caused by rotting food scraps in your kitchen sink and soap scums in your bathroom sink. And hot water acts as a catalyst for the reaction between the two substrates.
Other than this, you can use similar methods by using combinations of baking soda and salt, salt, hot water and vinegar, or lemon and salt.
B. Augur Or Drain Snake
If the clog is too stubborn to break, you can use tools like an auger or drain snake, readily available in any local hardware store. A drain snake is a flexible wire that goes deeper into the drain to locate and dislocate the element involved in the clogging.
Alternatively, you can also use coat hangers for this purpose. Just straighten the hanger and create a hook on one end so you can fish out the debris or obstruction causing the clog.
Your Blocked Drain Can Cause Damage
That’s it from our side. We hope you can ensure a clog-free drain and a healthy life for your family. And you can always call upon an experienced plumber or a reputable plumbing company to meed your plumbing needs and if you are unsure of your capability. The Fixed Fast Plumbing team are Sydney’s leading drain blockages specialists and leak detection experts. So, please, give us a call today!
But your plumber must be experienced and reliable enough, as even the slightest mistake can increase the extent of the problem. Examine online customer reviews or ask your friends or neighbours for referrals and experience.
Also, ask the plumbing service about any guarantee they may provide for the services. This will save you from the hassle of paying for anything or conducting separate repairs if anything goes wrong while the plumbers are at work.
With that, it’s a wrap. Goodbye and take care!
