If your drains have an unpleasant sour or fishy odor, it may be time to contact professional plumbers. You can assist by clearing away any clutter around the faucets and any items which might obstruct pipes like toys, baby wipes, or feminine hygiene products that could block a pipe.
Clogged Drains
Clogged drains are one of the most prevalent plumbing problems faced by homeowners and can be an immense inconvenience. Clogs form when food particles, hair, soap scum or other residue build up inside pipes and restrict waterflow; eventually leading to wastewater being backflowing into sinks, tubs, showers or toilets causing backup. Luckily, DIY solutions exist that may offer relief before calling in professional help.
Plungers can be purchased from home improvement or hardware stores for less than $10 and work by creating suction around the drain to dislodge trapped debris and break up clumps of sewage. Baking soda and salt mixed with hot water may also work to dissolve blockages caused by grease or soap scum accumulations.
When larger clogs prove stubbornly resistant to traditional plungers, use a wire snake instead to break up and clear out. Begin by disconnecting the P-trap and unscrewing its drain stubout before feeding its tip into your pipe with cranking motions – running water through while doing this can help flush away newly loosed debris more efficiently. Calabrese suggests Bio-Clean as an all-natural product which introduces beneficial bacteria into your plumbing to eat away at waste products while cleaning lines regularly over time – long term maintenance using Bio-Clean can keep things running smoothly for many years!
Puddles in the Backyard
Puddles in your backyard aren’t only unsightly; they can also be harmful to both your yard and home. Standing water encourages mold growth that weakens foundations of houses, promotes mosquito populations, leads to grass/plant death, as well as making walking surfaces slippery causing you to track dirt into your house accidentally. Muddy puddles make walking surfaces slippery leading you into tracking more dirt into the house unintentionally than intended.
For successful puddle solutions, you must first understand where the water is coming from. It could be from overwatering or poorly placed garden beds; additionally, terrain around your house might also contribute as it does not direct rainwater away from its location.
One approach to solving drainage issues is by altering your irrigation schedule and planting accordingly, so as to prevent puddles. Another is installing a French drain in the affected area of your yard; this involves digging a gravel-filled trench with a protective liner to keep out silt and soil before adding perforated pipe for redirecting water toward an exit point such as a rain garden or dry well.
If a puddle in your backyard has persisted without rainwater being the cause, it could be a telltale sign of a sewage leakage issue. Seek assistance immediately from Ben Franklin Plumbing AZ to have this corrected quickly before the situation worsens further.
Smelly Drains
When your kitchen or bathroom drain has an unpleasant odor, this indicates a problem in its connection to sewage lines. Rotting waste odor can travel up through pipes without the protective water/particle coatings of functional drains; leaving unattended, these fumes could fill your house and become much more unpleasant than any clog would ever be.
Smelly kitchen drains often result from food debris getting stuck in pipes or garbage disposals, especially if food has been sitting there for an extended period. This often leads to kitchen sink clogging; in such instances, pour hot water or baking soda down your drain to loosen any gunk.
Bathrooms that smell of sewage may be caused by various issues, including a dry P-trap (the curved section beneath the sink that holds water to block sewer gas from entering your home) or clogged vent. This problem is especially prevalent among older homes which have not had their plumbing professionally replaced; to help mitigate it run a pot of water down your toilet or bathtub drains periodically to prevent this issue from recurring; otherwise call in professional plumbers immediately if the smell persists.
Slow Drains
Slow drains might not seem like an immediate concern, but they’re often an indicator of larger issues that need to be addressed immediately. Slow-draining sinks typically indicate there’s already a clog present and without expert intervention it could worsen over time, potentially forcing further into your plumbing system and creating expensive repair needs.
Alternatively, for minor sink clogs that you can fix yourself at home using DIY solutions may work. Family Handyman suggests mixing baking soda and vinegar in a large bowl until the volcano-like reaction loosens any debris in your pipes – then pour the mixture down your sink drain, cover it with an plug or stopper and wait 10 minutes before pouring boiling water through to clear and unclog your pipes.
If these simple approaches don’t do the trick, it may be time for something more aggressive – a hand-held drain snake (sometimes known as an auger). These metal cables extend from three to 25 feet with spiral catch at either end that dislodges clogs that are beyond reach of sink cleaning tools or plungers.
If you need a drain plumber in Phoenix, AZ contact Ben Franklin Plumbing AZ for help.
