More Than One Drain Is Clogged in My House—What’s Wrong?

To paraphrase a famous novelist and playwright, “To have one drain clog may be seen as a misfortune. To have two seems like carelessness.”

Okay, multiple drain clogs in your home don’t necessarily mean you’ve been careless (although scheduling regular drain cleaning each year will help prevent problems like this). But it does mean something bigger is wrong than a standard clog. A clog of hair or grease or an object knocked down a sink drain will affect only that drain. When you find drains in the showers, kitchen sinks, bathroom sinks, and elsewhere around the house either fully clogged or draining slowly, you’ll know something is up. But what is it?

A clog deeper down in the drain system

The most common cause for his problem is a clog farther down in your home’s drainage system, probably in the main drain that transports wastewater to the sewer line. You can’t reach this deep with any kind of drain snake you have around the house, and a sink plunger certainly can’t create enough air pressure to do any good. (And don’t even think about reaching for chemical drain cleaners!) You’ll need to have professional plumbers with the right drain cleaning equipment to fix this. In some cases, the situation may require replacing the drain pipe for better water flow.

Root infiltration into the sewer line

The problem may go even deeper into the drainage system than the main drain. The sewer line may have blockage in it. A common reason for this is root infiltration. The roots of plants grow naturally toward sources of moisture and warmth, and this pulls them toward the sewer line. Roots can grow into the line until they fully block it. If you have trees or bushes with tough roots planted near where the sewer line runs, root problems are a potenital risk. Professional plumbers can solve this, although it may sometimes require replacing the sewer line.

Broken sewer line

This is the most serious problem, and it usually must be fixed by having the entire sewer line replaced. If you live in a home built pre-1970, you may have a sewer line made from outdated material that’s prone to corrosion, such as galvanized steel or cast iron. If these pipes break, sewage will start rapidly to back up, and those drain clogs might turn into something worse. Call for a skilled plumbing contractor to first do a pipeline inspection and pinpoint what needs to be done and then have the job finished in a short time and with little mess.

If you need drain cleaning in Durham, NC, either as a regular service or because you suspect you have a clogged main drain, contact us to schedule it. We also have 24-hour emergency service available for when your drain clog problems need to be remedied as soon as possible. In addition to working with drain cleaning and repair, we provide extensive sewer repair and sewer cleaning services using the best technology.

Bud Matthews Services Is Here for All Your Home Service Needs in Durham and the Surrounding Areas.