To most people, drain blockages are all alike. A clog, after all, prevents them from using the sink, tub, or toilet in question. To a plumber, however, there is a difference. Plumbing professionals classify clogs into two types: soft blockages and hard blockages. If you have a drain clog at your Ft Lauderdale home, you can rely on MainLine Plumbing to sort it out. Whether hard or soft blockages are at the culprit, our plumbing pros can provide the solution you need.
What Is a Soft Drain Blockage?
Your plumber might refer to your drain clog as a soft blockage. Soft blockages are common and generally easier to remove than a hard blockage; though, they can still be quite stubborn. A soft blockage is a clog that is composed of materials such as cooking grease, soap residue, and food particles. They can include some solid materials such as a fruit pit, but they tend to include grease or oils.
Removing a Soft Drain Blockage
Your plumber will usually rely on a snake or auger to dislodge the soft clog. Even though part of the clog may be hardened materials, it’s still made up of softer materials like hardened cooking grease and soap residue. Diligent augering can typically dislodge the clog, pushing the material through the drain and into the municipal sewer system.
What Is a Hard Blockage?
A hard blockage is often more challenging than a soft blockage. A hard blockage may be made up of tree roots, mineral buildup, or a foreign object such as a child’s toy. These clogs can be incredibly stubborn; they may even cause damage to the surrounding pipe.
Removing a Hard Blockage
To remove a hard blockage, your plumber may also rely on an auger to dislodge the offending item blocking the drain. The plumbing pros of MainLine Plumbing may not be able to remove the blockage using an auger. In such cases, they may need more advanced solutions when their auger comes up on a hard clog. If tree roots are the problem, a plumber will need to attach a root cutting device to the tip of the auger in order to cut through the roots.
Sometimes it’s unclear what the clog is. A plumber may need to send an inline camera into the drain to inspect the issue. Once they determine what’s causing the clog, they can decide on the best solution for the fix.
Professional Drain Cleaning Is the Solution
The key to resolving a soft or hard blockage is to let a professional plumber handle it. Plumbing technicians take care of hard and soft drain blockages all the time. Our plumbing team has the tools and equipment needed to address any type of clog.
Some residents of Ft Lauderdale might be tempted to try a DIY solution like using drain cleaner. Commercial drain cleaners are widely available, but they are not good for pipes. Drain cleaners cause heat-based chemical reactions. The action of the heat is meant to dislodge blockages. In some cases, they may dislodge a soft blockage, but not necessarily a stubborn one. In the case of a hard blockage, they are apt to be ineffectual.
When the drain cleaner doesn’t work, it remains in the pipe stuck behind the blockage it was meant to clear. That’s why MainLine Plumbing relies on safe, professional plumbing solutions. Drain cleaning chemicals can be extremely corrosive. You certainly don’t want these chemicals sitting in your drains where they can damage them. Before you reach for one of these products, call MainLine Plumbing instead.
Clog Prevention Solutions
Drain blockages are a nuisance. Fortunately, many can be prevented by taking care to prevent them. There are some cheap and easy ways to prevent many unwanted items such as food debris and hair from entering the drain. A simple drain screen costs only a few dollars and is available at most hardware stores and home improvement centers.
To protect your Ft Lauderdale home’s plumbing system, you need to ensure that unwanted materials like cooking grease from flowing down the drain. Unfortunately, many people throw items into the drains that should never be introduced there. To maintain your drains, be sure to prevent debris from getting into them, or you may need the services of a plumber more often than you might expect.
Drain Cleaning Services
If your drains become clogged frequently, you should consider inviting a plumber from our team to perform drain cleaning service. If your clogs are caused by years worth of grease buildup or mineral buildup, drain cleaning solutions can help. Often, hydro jetting the drain system removes the buildup.
In the case of mineral buildup, our plumbing service may need to use special chemicals designed to remove hard minerals like calcium that have built up on the interior of the pipes. The buildup causes the pipes to narrow, and that leaves them prone to clogging. Drain cleaning is a great solution if several of your drains frequently suffer clogs.
Trust Plumbing Pros to Take Care of Your Drains
Avoid using drain cleaners or allowing debris to get into your drain system to prevent clogs. However, even with diligent prevention solutions, clogs can happen. Blockages can even be caused by damaged pipes. Plumbing professionals have the skills and equipment needed to solve these issues, and they can do so safely without harming your plumbing system. Whether it’s tree roots or cooking grease causing the clog, our plumbing technicians can tackle the problem.
Contact us at MainLine Plumbing right away if you have a drain clog. Our plumbing pros are highly trained and experienced dealing with all types of clogs. We also offer a full lineup of plumbing services such as pipe repair, water heater installation, drain cleaning, and much more.