What Are the Signs of a Blocked Drain?

It’s always an awful feeling when you find out that you have a blocked drain. It can cause people a lot of worry and stress, especially if you need to pay for help from a blocked drain company. A blockage can then go on to cause damage to your home or pose health risks, so you must try to get it sorted as soon as you can.

It’s always a good idea to know the signs of a blocked drain so you can be better prepared and start solving the problem sooner rather than later. We will share with you the top signs to look out for that indicate that you might have a blocked drain in Liverpool.

Signs That Your Drain Is Blocked

Lingering Smelly Odours

If you notice that you can regularly smell foul odours, it might be a good idea to check your drains. Various waste substances and materials get flushed down drains that can stick to the pipes and gradually build up and become rotten over time. It’s this that usually causes a stench coming from the drains that’s similar to sewage.

If you notice that this foul smell is coming from either the toilet or your kitchen sink drain, you need to get it sorted ASAP. Some of the fumes that are released from blockages are dangerous and can cause you health problems if left too long. You need to check your pipes immediately, find the cause of the problem and deal with it.

If you try to unblock your drain yourself without any success, it’s best to call a blocked drain company to come out and fix it for you.

Toilet Won’t Flush

It’s never a pleasant experience when you go to flush your toilet and see the water just rising up. If the blockage is quite bad, you may even watch the water flow out of the bowl and start to flood your bathroom.

Something you can try yourself to unclog the toilet is to stop the water flow from the tank and then use a plunger. Many people find this an effective solution in clearing the blockage. However, if it doesn’t work after a few tries, seek help from drain unblocking services.

To prevent blockages in your toilet, never flush anything down other than your waste and toilet paper. Foreign objects such as baby wipes should never go down the toilet and instead should always be discarded in the bin.

Flies And Plants

With a clogged drain, you may notice fruit flies and drain flies flying around. They are attracted to the smell and use it as the perfect environment to lay their eggs. You must take action to remove the blockage because it can be a hazard if they get into your food and around your kitchen.

Something else you might notice causing drain problems is plants. Sometimes the roots invade the pipes and cause damage which can be dangerous. Some signs to look out for are puddles created outside your home and plant growth around the sewer line.

Slow Drainage

A common sign that your drain might be blocked is if you notice that the water is draining much slower than usual. This is especially noticeable in sinks, toilets and bathtubs. Looking out for this sign helps figure out where the blockage might be.

For example, if you notice your kitchen sink is draining slowly, but your toilet is fine, the blockage will be in the pipes. However, if the toilet is also affected by slow drainage, then you have a deeper problem with the sewer pipe. In that case, it’s best to contact a blocked drain company for assistance.

Gurgling Sounds

You may notice that you can hear strange, gurgling sounds coming from your pipes or drains. These sounds are a result of the air that gets trapped in the pipes when you have a blockage. When you then try to flush water down the drain, the air escapes, and this causes the gurgling sounds.

Common Causes Of Blocked Drains In Liverpool

To help prevent blockages from happening in the first place, it’s a good idea to look at some of the most common causes.

Soap

Soap can act as a glue over time when combined with other grime that might be down your drain. That can build up and then cause a blockage.

Foreign Objects

Some people are notorious for putting objects down their drains that don’t belong and aren’t suitable for drains. One of the most common things that get flushed away and cause blockages is baby wipes. They don’t break down like toilet paper does and can cause significant problems. Another example is cotton buds. It doesn’t take long for these to attach to each other and create a blockage.

Coffee Grounds

Unlike instant coffee that dissolves, the coffee ground can stick to other grime down your drain and accumulate over time. Instead of rinsing coffee grounds away, it’s best to get as much as you can into the bin.

Toys

Children sometimes can’t help themselves and like to put their toys down the toilet. Any smaller pieces that might make it down the drain can stick to other debris that’s potentially already starting to create a blockage and can cause more problems.

Bath Salts

This might come as a surprise, but bath salts don’t always fully dissolve, and lumps get drained down the plughole and don’t thoroughly flush out.

Food Scraps

It doesn’t take too much to block a drain, so the odd bit of food here and there can actually make it worse. Pasta and carbs, in general, are especially problematic for drains because they are porous and expand when they soak up water.

Hair

This is one of the most common culprits that requires drain unblocking services. It’s easy not to notice how much hair can wash down the plughole, and then when you mix it with soap scum that gets stuck in the drain, it creates a gooey hair lump.

Fat, Oil And Grease

Fat and grease are well known to stick around the edges of your drain and slowly build up over time. You should always try to scrape as much as you can into the bin.

Unblock Your Drain Today

Blocked drains should be dealt with ASAP to reduce further problems from happening. Knowing these signs will help you indicate that something is wrong so you can try to rectify it. If the blockage is too stubborn after your own attempts, it’s time to contact drain unblocking services.

At Mersey Rod, we unblock and repair drains in various areas of the North West, such as Merseyside, Wirral, Cheshire/Chester and the Greater Manchester area. We pride ourselves on maintaining a high quality of service in all aspects of drainage and servicing. We provide excellent customer service and bring our expert knowledge to help solve your drain problems effectively and timely.

Our services are available 24/7, and we aim to arrive as quickly as possible. So, if you need help with your blocked drain, please don’t hesitate to contact us. You can either fill out the contact form on our website, send us an email or give us a call and we’d be more than happy to help you.