The first sign of a faulty drainage system is the bubbling sound you hear when you flush water through your drain. A gurgling drain is also a sign that the inner layers of the drain have been tampered with, causing a restricted passage. The restriction is often caused by the flushing of dirt, food, hair, dead skin, toilet paper, or other solid particles down the drain.
However, it is important to find a solution to it immediately before it gets worse. But before that, you will have to know the cause and the areas affected because a bad drain can affect other drains at home. Once you know this, you can work out a solution.
Below are some main reasons why you may be experiencing a gurgling drain and the measures you can take to rectify the problem. If you require a drain-cleaning professional, check out this link: https://cloverco.com/plumbing/drain-cleaning-services/.
Reasons Why You Have A Gurgling Drain
After hearing the sound of your gurgling sink drain, you might be wondering: why is the drain gurgling? Well, it could be as a result of the following reasons.
Restricted Drains
The elementary cause of a gurgling drain is a restricted drainage system. When sewage can’t flow freely through the pipes, you start hearing bubbling sounds. It could be a partial blockage or a complete blockage.
When it is partially blocked, the sewage begins to flow slowly, and with time, it worsens and flows more slowly.
Once you have a partially blocked drain, know that you could have a completely blocked drain in no time. This happens when the slow flow of water worsens to the extent that it starts rising in your sink, bathtub, and other water outlets instead of flowing through the drain.
Restricted Vents
Vents allow air to travel down the drainage system without interfering with the flow of water. When your kitchen sink or bathtub is full of water, the vent prevents bubbles from forming. Vents can clog or be damaged, resulting in obstructions and a variety of other problems.
If your vent is blocked, it won’t be able to help prevent the gurgling sound.
Restricted Sewer Lines
Sewer lines are big pipes that move all the water coming from all the drains in your home.
A blocked sewer line affects all your drains. Blocked sewer lines can make your drains start acting strangely. It does not allow your drains to do away with their wastewater, thus leading to the gurgling sound that is formed when the partial and complete restriction happens.
One of the ways you would know that you have a blocked sewer line is when you flush your kitchen sink upstairs, and the water overflows from the drains downstairs. This is a result of water not being able to flow through the sewer line.
What Measures Can You Take To Stop Your Gurgling Drain?
There are two distinct measures you can take to handle a gurgling drain.
Preventive Measures
If it is a partial restriction issue, you would certainly have a gurgling drain, but the water will still flow through, although it might take a longer time. When you have a problem like this, it can be dealt with easily and quickly.
You can clear whatever is blocking the drain all by yourself using the right plumbing gear. With the right tool kit, which includes a screwdriver, pipe wrench, faucet packing, and drain washers, you will be able to loosen your drain, clear it of any restriction, and tighten it back.
If the blockage is very solid and can’t easily be cleared by cleaning solutions, you can use a quality drain snake that breaks through the blockage, making it easier to flush out.
However, be ready to get wet and stained in the process.
Food particles, dead skin, hair, tissue papers, and soap scum are some of the things that get accumulated over time and stop water from flowing down the drain. It’s a good idea to clean your drains regularly, not just to ensure the free flow of water but also to avoid bad smells and to extend the life of your plumbing system.
In addition to prolonging the life of your plumbing system, ensure you stay away from cleaning solutions that are composed of harsh chemicals. These chemicals can be harsh on plumbing fixtures and you.
Corrective Measures
When the restriction is left to get worse, and water has started rising in your kitchen sink, your bathtub, or anywhere in your home, only one solution can be provided, and it is calling for the assistance of a professional – a certified plumber.
The plumber will assess your drainage system and figure out what is wrong. A professional is needed when the clog has reached its peak, especially when it was caused by a vent or sewer line issue.
A plumber should fix a vent issue as it can be very fragile. Also, in these cases, the sewer line may be blocked by roots of trees (this is very common), bathroom wastes, and cracked pipes from the other drains.
Conclusion
Your gurgling drain problem starts when dirt, oil, hair, soap residue, food remains, and others start accumulating in the drain. So, you must ensure that you clean your drain from time to time. Also, avoid flushing solid particles through your pipes.
It is advisable that you handle your drain issues at the onset of the problem. Dealing with them too late might mean changing a large part of your plumbing system.
Note that you shouldn’t tamper with your drains. If you don’t know how to stop your gurgling drain, call a professional to help you solve the blockage, vent, and sewer line issues.
