Most drain problems in your home – whether slow drains, sewer odors, or strange noises– are usually caused by two things, says Whole Management team. Drain clogs and blockages are the two leading causes of malfunctions in your home’s drainage system.
Clogs and blockages form due to processes within the drainage system that cannot be stopped. That is because clogs and blockages happen following a side effect of the drain’s function as part of your home’s waste disposal system.
All the wastewater generated from your home passes through drainpipes to reach the city sewer lines in the street. This wastewater is usually a combination of greywater (from sinks, washing machines, etc.) and blackwater (from toilets and bathrooms).
Black and greywater contain solid and semi-solid materials that can settle inside pipes as wastewater flows through drain lines. Over time, these small deposits build up until they interfere with water flow through the pipes.
When this happens, you will have some or all these drain problems in your home:
- Slow drains at the same time in several of the home’s plumbing fixtures.
- Chronic drain clogs that refuse to go away despite your best efforts.
- Bad odors inside or around the house, especially when you use a drain fixture.
- Strange noises – such as gurgling sounds – each time you use one of your drains.
- Increases in pests around your home; fruit flies, roaches, mosquitoes, etc.
- Overflowing toilets and a backed-up sewer line.
Professional drain cleaning; the most effective cure for clogged drains
The only way to fix these issues and restore the efficiency of your drainage is to clean the pipes. Drain cleaning is the process of removing the buildup that predisposes your drainpipes to clogs, blockages, and associated problems.
Drain cleaning can be done using several professional methods such as hydro-jetting and sewer line rodding.
To clean drainpipes via hydro-jetting, a stream of high-pressure water is used to break up any materials impeding the free flow of wastewater inside the line.
Sewer line rodding, on the other hand, uses a flexible metal cable with a spinning cutter at the end to dislodge and grind up the debris blocking the drainpipe.
Doing this for at least a year is the best way to avoid frequent drain clogs and pipe damage. But when is the best time to clean your drains? What season
Why summer is the perfect time to clean your drains
Tree roots are more active in summer
Tree root intrusion into underground drain lines is a major cause of problems in sewer lines. Summer is when this problem is most likely to happen because plants experience their strongest growth season at this time of the year. This also makes summertime the best period to deal with this problem. Waiting until any other season will give tree roots time to establish themselves inside your pipes and cause even more damage.
Rising temperatures
Higher summer temperatures mean your drainpipes will have less water running through them. As a result, the lines are most likely to dry out in summer. Dried-out drainpipes will let nasty odors filer out of the sewer line into your home. Cleaning your drains is a great way to get rid of the bacteria and debris that contribute to this problem. The debris inside the pipes is also likely to cause major issues at this time and cause major problems.
Increased drain usage during summer
In summer, the burden on the drainage system is higher because there will be more family members using the system more of the time. You may also have friends and relatives at your home for cookouts and other summer activities. These activities increase the risk that toys and other harmful items find their way into the drain lines. Scheduling drain cleaning at this time will help you prevent problems.
Perfect weather
Summertime offers the perfect weather for cleaning your drains because there is almost zero chance of the operations being disrupted by rain. Dry weather also makes access to outdoor plumbing features easier. With fewer chances for delays and interruptions, the drain cleaning operation is unlikely to upend the day-to-day activities of your home.
Lastly, although most plumbers have a more flexible schedule during summer, several homeowners will not take advantage of this to schedule their home’s drain maintenance. Instead, they will wait until plumbing emergencies force them to pay attention to their drains.
On the other hand, savvy homeowners who choose to have their drains cleaned can do it with no pressure and at a lower price. They get to avoid the expense of dealing with drainage problems in the winter months when good plumbers are harder to hire and cost a lot more.