A blocked drain can be annoying—it can lead to flooding and make your home dirty.
But clogged drains can be a lot more sinister than you think, and could affect you and your family’s health.
Left untreated, clogged drains can cause water to stagnate in them, leading to a plethora of health risks, some of which could put people in the hospital. The good news is that you won’t need to fix drain problems yourself—you have drain cleaning companies for that!
This blog post will look into the dangers of clogged drains and how a drain cleaning company can help you.
What kinds of health hazards can clogged drains cause?
Before we get into how plumbing companies with drain cleaning services can help you, let’s look at the potential health hazards that clogged drains can cause:
1. Harmful Bacteria
Clogged drains lead to stagnant water which can become a breeding ground for all kinds of bacteria. Some of the most common types of bacteria that can inhabit clogged drains include:
- Coli is a very infamous type of bacteria that is known to cause food poisoning in nearly 95,000 people in the US every year, According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). It can also cause symptoms like nausea and stomach cramps.
- Salmonella is another common type of bacteria that is foodborne. According to the CDC, salmonella causes about 1.35 million infections every year in the US.
- Legionella is a bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease. This is a very serious form of pneumonia that has symptoms similar to the flu. However, this bacteria isn’t as common as the two others and only infects about 8,000-18,000 people in the US every year.
If water from your drains flows back into your home, there’s a chance you or your family may come into contact with these pathogens and get sick.
2. Mold and Mildew
A clogged drain leads to moisture build-up and this creates the perfect environment for mold and mildew to grow.
Also, according to the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, at least 30% of the US population may be allergic to mold. Mold releases microscopic spores into the air and these pores can trigger allergies and respiratory issues in some people with compromised immune systems.
Additionally, mold spores can cause headaches, skin irritation, and eye irritation.
3. Sewage Backup
Sometimes, clogged drains can cause sewage to flow back into your home. In and of itself, this sounds terrible, but sewer water can also be very dangerous and can bring with it all kinds of nasty pathogens, viruses, and bacteria, like those mentioned above.
In addition, the fumes from sewer water can be nauseating for many people and can lead to headaches and other medical issues; not to mention it can make living in your home uncomfortable.
Another thing that makes sewage dangerous is the concoction of gases that could enter your home. These include methane, which is a colorless gas that’s explosive when exposed to open flames.
How can drain cleaning companies save the day?
Now that we’ve got the health hazards out of the way, here’s how plumbing companies can help keep your home safe and clean:
1. Drain Snaking
Plumbers use a long cable with an auger attachment on the end to clear out clogs in your drains. This is the most common method of drain cleaning done by drain cleaning companies and is likely to be used for clearing small blockages.
2. Hydro Jetting
In this case, plumbers use powerful, high-pressure jets of water to blast away blockages in your drains. The water then clears away the dislodged debris by flushing it through the drain.
3. Camera Inspection
Some plumbing companies will use a special camera that they snake through your drains to check for clogs. The camera allows the plumbers to inspect the clog without opening the drain and will help them determine how serious the clog is.
If the clog is minor, they’ll use a drain snake or a chemical cleaner to get rid of it. But more severe blockages might need sections of your piping to be replaced.
How can I prevent clogs from happening in the first place?
As we’ve seen so far, having a blocked drain can be a bad situation. Here’s how to reduce your chances of clogging your drains:
1. Use a Drain Trap
A drain trap is a simple device that’s used to stop debris, like food materials and hair, from going down your drain. These are usually installed in bathroom drains and kitchen sinks.
2. Dispose of Grease Properly
Most people tend to pour cooking grease down the drain when they’re washing dishes—this can lead to terrible grease clogs. Let the grease cool and solidify and then dispose of it in the trash.
3. Utilize Garbage Disposals Responsibly
As much as we like to believe it, garbage disposals can’t handle everything—they will have trouble breaking down hard and fibrous materials and these can go on to clog up your drains.
So make sure to throw away these materials in the regular trash instead of sending them down the drain.
4. Schedule Regular Drain Inspections
Over time, clogs are bound to form regardless of how careful you are. Schedule a drain inspection at least once every two months to ensure your drains are clear.
Get in touch with reliable drain cleaning companies today
Clogged drains may not look like a big deal, but they can escalate into major problems if you leave them unchecked. Also, trying to unclog a drain on your own can be dangerous if you’re not experienced and you could expose yourself to harmful bacteria and viruses.
So get in touch with drain cleaning companies for effective drain cleaning in San Diego today!
