Running Pipes, and More!

Do you have a sink drain that keeps clogging? Perhaps you clear the clog with a plunger or some drain cleaner, but it becomes blocked again within a few days. This can be a rather frustrating cycle to become caught in. You'll soon grow tired of keeping a plunger by the sink and spending countless dollars on drain cleaner. Luckily, if you call a plumber, they can take action to put an end to your repeated clogs. Here are three approaches they might take, depending on the nature of the clog and what they observe.

Hydrojetting 

The problem might be that there is a lot of built-up grime on the sides of your drain pipe. This can be soap scum, grease, or a combination of both. When you clear the clog, you clear the immediate blockage, but you don't get rid of this gloppy, stuck-on grime. It's staying in your drain pipe, and it soon clings to more hair and debris, forming a new blockage. 

A plumber can put an end to this cycle by hydrojetting the drain. This process, which is done with a tool called a hydrojet, shoots a strong stream of water down the drain pipe. It clears away not only the immediate blockage but also the grime on your drainpipe walls that could be grabbing onto materials and causing additional blockages.

Vent Clearing

Another possibility is that you're not actually coming up against clogs in the drain lines themselves, but rather blockages in your sewer vents. You may dislodge part of the blockage when you plunge, but it soon reforms. A blockage in the vent will keep air from escaping, which will slow down your drains considerably. If a plumber finds that your vents are blocked, they can clear them using a pipe snake, which they typically push down the vent stack from the roof. This should keep your drain flowing freely from that point on.

Main Sewer Line Clearing

Another possibility is that the blockage is located further down your drain lines, in the main sewer line, or in one of the larger collecting lines. Your plunging and drain cleaner attempts may be loosening enough debris for water to seep by for a while, but they can't reach the clog fully because it's so far down. A plumber can use either a snake or a hydrojet to clear this deep-down blockage.

If you keep clearing the same clogged drain over and over again, it's time to call the plumber. They can offer a more permanent solution.