If you’re like many homeowners, you probably don’t think about your drains until there are obvious signs of problems. There’s nothing wrong with that, but life can be much simpler and less messy if you can get ahead of possible issues before they happen. Understanding the causes of a clogged drain can help you to fix the problem more easily and prevent one from happening in the first place.

How Does a Drain Work?

A drain system consists of a line that runs through the building and connects to the sewer system. The drain also connects to each sink, toilet or washing machine in a home or business. The sink connects with a trap and a pipeline that leads to the drain line and sewer system. It’s a pretty simple system. But, there are multiple places where clogs can cause problems (like in the pipes themselves, or in the traps connecting the sink of a toilet to the plumbing system for example).

How Does a Clogged Drain Occur?

Most often, an accumulation of debris in the pipes and drains create clogs. This can be food from a kitchen sink, or hair and soap buildup from a bathtub or a bathroom sink.  When it comes to a toilet, an abundance of toilet paper or things not meant to be flushed can cause clogged drains.

Signs of a Plumbing Blockage

If you’re concerned about a blockage, here are a few signs to look for:

1. A slowly draining sink or bathtub.
   A slow drain can be the first sign of a problem. This often happens when they diameter of the pipe is constricted by a thickening layer of grime and soap, or because of a blockage somewhere in a pipeline.
2. A foul odor.
   An unpleasant smell can come before a slow drain, potentially, but is a sign of a problem. It could be caused by several things: rotten food in a kitchen sink or drain, even an animal in another area of the drain and sewer system connections.
3. Toilets that back up instead of flush.
   These blockages are often caused by too much toilet paper going down, or more commonly, the wrong things being flushed down the toilet. This is serious because the item blocking the drain could damage the pipeline, or lead to damage to your bathroom as the water comes out of the bowl. If a plunger doesn’t help, you should probably call a professional to examine the pipes and drain system.
4. Drains that gurgle.
   The gurgling noise means that air is trapped somewhere in the plumbing. This could be caused by buildups in the drain, like grease, food, and oil. Food deposits may not always be easy to remove with drain cleaner – sometimes a professional’s high-powered tools, like a hydro-jetter, can remove the clog causing the problem. Damage to the sewer line could be another reason for gurgling in a clogged drain. This issue is far more serious than a clog and usually requires a professional to safely fix the problem. If these are not taken care of, you could find that sewer backs up into the drain system.
5. Water on your lawn, or plants growing near your sewer line.
   This is a little different from the other signs, as those occur inside the home and these are outside. If you have found a puddle in your lawn, you’ll want to have a professional come in to evaluate the drain and take action to remove the clog or damage from the sewer line. Foliage and trees growing near the sewer line can create big problems because the root systems can damage the sewer and water lines underground.

Blocked drains can be more than just a nuisance. For homeowners who pay attention and know what causes these issues, it’s possible it reduces the potential of clogged drain that leads to a major plumbing issue.

Whether you take action to clean the drains yourself or call a professional in, you can be sure that your plumbing systems will be clean and work well – call Lake Cook Plumbing today for all clogged drain services!

By zachadmachinescom

Drain cleaning is not something for homeowners to take advantage of! Homeowners often take their plumbing for granted until something happens that needs immediate attention. A kitchen sink stops running or a toilet overflows and then the plumbing becomes a high priority. With a little preventative maintenance, homeowners reduce the horror of drain clogs. Here is how you can make sure their drains are always working properly.

The Nightmare of Clogged Drains

If a drainage system is not properly maintained, the homeowner will experience trouble. When any problems in the drains occur, a homeowner can experience:

• Increased utility bills
• Plumbing fixtures that wear quicker
• Decreasing levels of sanitation in the house
• Unpleasant odors and strange sounds from the drains

All of this increases the stress of being a homeowner. This can be prevented with a little DIY home plumbing maintenance.

Benefits to Proactive Drain Maintenance

For a small investment of time and effort on their drains, the homeowner gains much throughout the year. The benefits include:

• Lower utility bills
• More durable plumbing fixtures
• Cost efficient plumbing fixture repairs
• Reduced risk of overflowing toilets and clogged sinks
• More comfortable and sanitary living space

This is especially important in large households where several people may contribute to the drains becoming clogged. If more people live in the house, there is a higher risk of drain problems if regular drain cleaning maintenance is not performed.

Plumbing Maintenance for the Homeowner

There are a number of ways that a homeowner can ensure that their drains are in proper working order. None of these take much time and are easy to perform. The first step is maintaining the drains to prevent them from stopping up. Next, one should be ready in case a clog does develop so they can react quickly to clear the drain.

Preventative Maintenance Steps

These actions will help to prevent clogs from happening:

• Pour a mixture of baking soda and vinegar down the drain. Let it set for several minutes and then flush thoroughly with warm tap water.
• Pour boiling water from a pan or tea kettle down the drain to clear out any sticky grease that has adhered to the inside of the plumbing pipes.
• Purchase strainers that fit in the drains to catch items before they get down into the plumbing.
• Keep a container near the stove to pour used oil and grease into. Never pour these down a drain.

In case a drain blockage happens, the homeowner should have on hand:

• A standard plunger for flat drains, such as in the kitchen sink.
• A flange plunger for curved drains, such as in the toilet.
• A bucket and several old rags for cleanup.

Typical Drain Clogs

If a clog should occur, a homeowner can attempt to clear the blockage. Their success depends on the type of clog they encounter. There are two clogs a homeowner is likely to face:

Soft clog – This is made up of hair and skin cells and is usually found in bathroom sinks, tub and shower drains. The clog stays soft and rarely compacts in the drain. These are normally easy to remove.

Hard clog – This is caused by grease and foods sticking to the sides of the drainpipe. Once the clog accumulates enough material to completely block the drain, it will continue to compact itself in the drain and become a hard mass. The longer a hard clog sits, the hard it is to remove.

Removing a Soft Clog

The homeowner can often remove these clogs.

• Use a standard plunger to pull the clog up out of the sink or to push it on through the drainpipe.
• Use a long, stiff brush made to fit down into the drain, snag the clog material and pull it back up and out.
• Use a plastic strip with serrated edges, made to remove clogs, by being inserted into the drain and pulling out the material.
• If the homeowner is not intimidated by plumbing work, they can disconnect the P-trap below the bathroom sink and remove the clog lodged there.

Removing a Hard Clog

If there is standing water, use a wet and dry vacuum to remove all of the water before attempting to unclog the drain.

• Try using a standard plunger briefly to release a fresh clog. Do not do this for too long or too forcefully as it can damage the plumbing pipes and make them come apart.
• Pour dish detergent down a clogged toilet to loosen up a blockage there.
• Use a plumbing snake to break up the clog and clear the drain. These should be used carefully as they can puncture a hole in the side of old, rusty plumbing pipes or cause drain pipes to come apart where two are joined.

Drain Cleaning Techniques to Avoid

Chemical drain cleaners – These are very dangerous to work with and can damage a person’s skin and eyes should they splash onto them.

Water balloons – These devices fit onto the end of a garden hose and are slipped down into the drain. When the water is turned on, it expands the balloon, sealing it against the sides of the drainpipe. Water is then forced down into the drain to try to loosen the clog. These devices can easily break plumbing fixtures or cause them to come apart.

The homeowner can deal with many household drain clogs. If they prove resistant to several attempts, a professional drain cleaning service should be considered. They can remove any clog without damaging the existing plumbing.

For more information on drain cleaning call Lake Cook Plumbing today! 

By zachadmachinescom

Clogged drains start off as small annoyances, but they quickly grow to cause serious plumbing disasters. A single clog could lead to significant leaks and even burst pipes. As a top-rated plumbing company that has proudly served Lake County residents for the past 62 years, Lake Cook Plumbing knows all of the tips and tricks that go into clearing clogged drains. Their team of professional plumbers is comprised of highly-trained individuals, and they want to use their knowledge and experience to help you keep your plumbing system flowing smoothly. Here are three ways you can fix a clogged drain in Barrington, IL.

1. Baking Soda and Vinegar: Baking soda and vinegar do more together than make impressive science fair projects. The chemical reaction that occurs when the two are mixed effectively clears small clogs. First, pour a pot of boiling hot water down the drain. Next, dump in a half cup of baking soda and follow it with a mixture of one cup water and one cup vinegar. Watch as your sink volcano erupts, and let it sizzle for about ten minutes. When the time’s up, rinse the pipes with another pot of boiling water.
2. The Wire Hanger Trick: You don’t need expensive plumbing equipment to clear a clogged drain; all you need is a wire hanger. Bend the hanger so that it’s shaped like a long stick with a hook on the end. Insert the hook into the drain and thread it through the pipe until you meet some kind of resistance. This resistance should be your clog. Push down on the hanger until it feels like it has penetrated the obstruction. Next, simply pull the hanger back out of the drain. You’ll hopefully pull a nasty mass of hair and who knows what else out with it.
3. Call a Professional: If you’ve tried these DIY methods with no luck, it’s time to admit defeat and call for back up. Lake Cook Plumbing has the professional equipment needed to blast through even the most stubborn clogs. They’ll restore your pipes to their original condition while at the same time, helping to prevent future plumbing issues.

The longer you ignore the problem, the worse the clog will become. Stop putting it off and call Lake Cook Plumbing today. Schedule an appointment or visit their website to learn more about how to fix a clogged drain in Barrington, IL.

By zachadmachinescom

Drain backup in Highland Park, IL is nothing the professional drain cleaners at Lake Cook Plumbing can’t handle. With over sixty years of experience serving the Highland Park, IL area, taking care of clog backups are almost second nature. Six years of service has given us plenty of opportunities to hone our craft and provide drain cleaning service that ensures you won’t experience issues with clogging any time soon. We have a wide range of solutions designed to handle any type of clog, from those tough grease buildups or those moments when you accidentally have an object land in your drains.

Drain cleaning is highly important in the summer, when you’re most likely not focusing on your plumbing and instead spending the season outdoors. Of course, our sixty years of service has also given us plenty of opportunities to meet with customers who simply waited too long to receive drain cleaning service. Some homeowners will think drain backups don’t pose a major threat to their plumbing system, but the truth is that it can prevent from using their fixtures and provide quite the inconvenience in your daily life.

If you truly want to avoid a plumbing catastrophe this summer, call us to fix drain backup in Highland Park, IL now and expect:

• Service for All Types of Backup: Drain backup can appear in many forms—main drain backup, toilet backup, sewer backup, shower backup, etc. But if you think you have a backup we can’t fix, think again. We offer service for all sorts of drain backup in Highland Park, IL so no customer finds themselves on the short end of the stick.
• High-Pressure Water Jetting: Our water jetting service will see us insert a hose high-pressure water down your drains which will then blast away any tough clog. Water jetting is incredibly useful in eliminating clogs that can’t be fixed by the use of a plunger, like grease buildup and tree root intrusion. It’s quick, effective, and guarantees your drains are spotless.
• Helpful Drain Camera Inspection: Since most clogs are immediately visible, you need something extra in order to detect them and get them out. Our drain camera inspection can help you get a clearer look into the inner workings of your drainage system by inserting a small camera attached to a fiber optic cable down your drains. This will allow for quicker clog identification and eventual repair.

Contact Lake Cook Plumbing today if you don’t want drain backup in Highland Park, IL slowing down your summertime fun.

By zachadmachinescom