How frustrating a clogged drain can be! If you’re like me and live in an older home, clogged drains are all too common, especially in the bathroom sink, toilet and shower. How many times have you been enjoying your morning shower only to have the experience marred by rising water?
In order to get to the bottom of these nuisances, we need to understand the causes of our drain woes. So what’s down there causing the water to back up?
- Hair clogs - When you have a clog in your bathtub drain, there is a good chance that hair is the culprit. Hair can build up slowly, sticking to the walls of your drain pipe and catching other debris as it passes by. Once this happens, it is only a matter of time before your bathtub drain is completely clogged.
- Soap scum - Soap scum is a common source of clogs in bathtub drain systems. Even though it’s not solid, it can solidify after it goes down the drain, gradually building up on your drain's walls. It can also stick to anything else passing through your drain, making your other potential clogs into real clogs more quickly.
Miscellaneous – Never underestimate the ability of all kinds of strange objects to find their way down your drains – after all, drains are designed so gravity can work its magic, funneling any object that doesn’t belong right down the hole. Toothpaste caps, hair bands, rubber bands and floss are all commonly found plugging drains – and that’s only the tip of the iceberg.
