Foul-smelling odors, overflowing water, strange gurgling sounds coming from your sink, and water that is slow to drain or won’t drain at all: these are the telltale signs of a blocked drain in your home. Let’s take a closer look at each one of these red flags so that you can find out whether or not one or more of your drains are blocked and take the necessary steps to remedy the situation before the problem becomes any worse than it already is.
4 Signs of a Blocked Drain
As mentioned, there are four particular signs to be on the lookout for if you suspect that you may be dealing with a blocked drain in your home. Let’s look at each one of these signs in more detail now so that you can be absolutely sure whether or not your drain is blocked.
Foul smell
First and foremost, if you notice a foul smell coming from one of your sinks, then chances are very good that you are dealing with a blocked drain in your home. The smell of a blocked drain is most often the smell of sewage, or feces, which, needless to say, is very unpleasant. So, if it seems like someone went to the washroom in your kitchen sink, then you should contact a plumber for advice on how to proceed with resolving the problem.
Overflowing
Overflowing water or sewage is the worst-case scenario when dealing with a blocked drain in your home. Water can, of course, cause significant damage to your property and furniture; if the overflow contains human waste or sewage, then the problem can quickly turn into a nightmare. For these reasons, the second you notice water overflowing from one of your drains, you should contact a professional plumber immediately because this is an emergency.
Gurgling sounds
Weird gurgling sounds coming from your sink, bathtub, shower, toilet, or another drain in your home are very likely to be the result of a blocked drain. If you hear any of these bizarre sounds coming from your drain, then you can try using a plunger or commercial drain unclogger to see if that fixes the problem; if not, then you will most likely need a professional plumber to come out and fix the problem for you.
Slow draining
Finally, when your sink starts draining at a much slower pace than normal, or if it won’t drain at all, then you are almost certainly dealing with a blocked drain in your home. Don’t try to run more water to verify if this is, in fact, the case; instead, contact a plumber for professional advice on how you should proceed with unblocking the drain.
Conclusion
Some drain blockages are near the surface and can be removed by hand or with a commercial drain cleaning product, but other blocks are further down the pipe and are not accessible by hand; in these cases, you can hire a plumber to locate blockages and restore your drain to its proper working condition.