Some Odd Causes of Drain Clogs

What are the leading causes of drain clogs? Here’s a quick rundown:

Fats, oils, and grease—most often a problem for kitchen sink drains
Hair—big trouble for sink and bathroom drains
Soap scum build-up
Hard water deposits—which often requires installing a water softener
Small objects accidentally tipped over into the drains

When our plumbers are called on for drain cleaning in Clovis, NM or elsewhere because of a clogged drain, it’s usually one of the above problems, or a combination of them, that we have to deal with.

But drains clog for more reasons than this. There are a few unusual problems plumbers sometimes run into. As a break from lists of “common causes of [fill in plumbing issue here],” we have a list of uncommon causes. You still need to watch out for these ones, however.

Cement

During remodeling a house or upgrading plumbing, homeowners may decide they want to plug up old drainpipes that aren’t in use. This is a good instinct, but often the cement ends up getting into drainpipes that are in use. Cement is obviously a tough clog to remove, and it usually requires drainpipe replacement to remedy this problem.

Smartphones

Obviously, smartphones can’t slide down a shower or sink drain. But they can fall into the toilet and become lodged in that drain—creating a major problem for the plumbing. Our plumbers probably won’t be able to save your cell phone from the water damage, but we can get the plumbing opened up once more.

Animals

This one is a bit unpleasant to deal with, but it can occur. Mice and rats can squeeze down into open drains and block them. You don’t want the animal or the drain clog in your house. The problem could also be a snake, which is common in New Mexico. You’ll definitely want professionals to take care of this problem!

Children’s toys

Do you have young kids in your house? Then you’re probably accustomed to them dropping things all over the place or trying to put objects or toys where they don’t belong. And this includes putting them into drains and toilets. You may not notice the problem at first, but a trapped toy will quickly catch other debris and create a substantial clog.

Cat litter

If you have cats, always dispose of their litter in an outside trash receptacle. Do not pour it down the toilet or into the disposal as a quicker method! Litter is a heavy material that isn’t designed to go down standard waste disposal systems. Worse, it clumps. And clumping action may be great for normal cat litter use. Inside a drain, it’s a recipe for one of the worst possible clogs.

Sanitary wipes

Hand-wipes and baby-wipes have warnings on them: do not flush. There’s a good reason for this caution. Wipes easily stick together and turn into an emulsion that can clog up not only your drain but the municipal sewer system as well. Put them in the trash, not the toilet.