Have you noticed slow drainage or contaminated water in your sink?
Often, homeowners miss out on cleaning the drains as the dirt may not always be visible. Alas, backed-up drains can lead to disastrous results.
Drains are only meant for water and soap to pass through, but residents may throw other things down the sink. For example, you could be guilty of pushing food down the sink instead of fishing it out.
That is not all; hair, small objects, and grease often go down the drain and accumulate at a point. The constant accumulation can blockage, stopping or reducing the water flow.
The blockage may push water backwards, causing flooding issues. But there’s more—and today, we will discuss the harmful effects of blocked drains and why you should get them fixed immediately.
So, keep reading!
How Blocked Drains Affect Your Home
1. More Mosquitoes
Blocked drains contain moist waste, which provides the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes. You might see a lot of mosquitoes around the house, which can be dangerous as they are carriers of malaria, yellow fever, dengue fever, and chikungunya. And once these start spreading, the entire neighbourhood is in danger.
2. Bad Smell
When your drainage system is blocked for a long time, the waste materials rot, emitting a strong and unpleasant odour. The foul smell can spread around the house and make living difficult. As a result, one of the harmful effects of blockage drainage systems is that its unpleasant smell can cause nausea and headache in people living in the house.
3. Foundation Damage
Cleaning blocked drains prevents issues with the house’s foundation as soon as possible. When there is a blockage, it stops the water flow in the drainage system. The water can seep into the bricks and enter the house’s foundation. If this happens for an extended period, you may face severe damages, leading to expensive repair jobs.
4. Stagnant Water Or Slow Water Movement
Have you noticed that water moves slowly down your sink drains? A clogged drain inside the drain pipes could cause this annoying occurrence.
The waste might not have blocked the entire path, making it less severe, but it could have caused a partial blockage. Hence, you might be able to take care of the slow water drainage without spending too much.
5. Water-Borne Diseases
Blocked drains can become breeding grounds for bacteria as the clogs grow. If water accumulates on the surface for a long time, it can lead to various water-borne diseases as it gets contaminated with human waste, agrochemicals, etc. Most diseases are caused by viruses, protozoa, and bacteria transmitted by hosts living in blocked drains.
Bacteria and harmful substances present in the waste can cause serious health issues. For example, snails can spread schistosomiasis, while house flies can spread cholera and typhoid.
Also, water tends to flow back if it cannot cross the blockage. This means the waste in your sewage system flows back into the sinks. Contaminated standing water from your clogged drain can be a breeding ground for viruses and spread diseases among your household members.
Microbes and bacteria in the backflow can cause airborne allergies, making the house unsafe.
6. Pipe Leakage
When a pipe is blocked, the water that flows towards the blockage must escape somewhere. If there is a lot of water pressure, the pipes will likely burst, leaking water into your kitchen or bathroom floor. Burst pipes are dangerous as they can lead to flooding in your home, garden, or backyard, possibly killing plants if they seep into the soil.
If you have a plumbing problem, such as pipe leaks or a drain blockage, you can suffer irreparable property damage and, worse yet, spread fatal diseases. It can be pretty expensive to replace damaged drainage pipes in the plumbing system. So, don’t forget to call a professional before such a situation arises.
7. Aesthetic Damage
Blocked drains can increase the moisture level in the air inside the home. You might always get a musty odour, which can be problematic. Also, a poor drainage system can lead to discolouration and watermarks on surfaces in the house, messing with the aesthetics.
At-Home Tips
You can use techniques to care for less severe blockages at home without calling professionals. One of them is to use drain cleaning chemicals. Here, you may pour the chemicals down the sink and allow it to remain overnight.
The next day, you can perform a test by pouring water down the sinkhole and checking if it flows at a steady speed.
Alternatively, you can try pouring hot water down the drain if you do not want to use chemicals. This technique may melt the particles inside, clearing up the pipes. You can also use a plunger to clear out impurities.
If none of these methods works, it is better to seek help from a plumbing company. These specialists are experienced in clearing blockages and will clean the water drains quickly.
What’s Next?
Stagnant water can grow moulds and pests over time, which can cause health issues for your near and dear ones. Apart from health risks, letting the problem simmer can lead to a home’s structural integrity and extensive damage. So, for every plumbing emergency, contact a local plumber and get a blocked drain fixed as soon as possible. If you need a professional plumber in Perth, Henley Brook, for your blocked drain and experience impeccable plumbing services, ensure you contact Woolf Plumbing & Gas. We guarantee fast and effective results for all your plumbing needs and plumbing emergencies!
Also, ask the technicians to check the entire pipeline for any other blockages forming. Once cleaned, we recommend using strainers in sinks to prevent larger particles from flowing into the drain.
As a preventative measure, avoid throwing grease down the drain. It sticks to the drain walls and traps larger particles over time, leading to blockages. But if grease accidentally enters the drain, you must pour cold water immediately to prevent it from sticking to the sides of the pipes.
We will be wrapping this up. Stay safe!
