Professional St. Louis Drain Cleaning solves slow drains, recurring clogs, and water backups before they turn into bigger plumbing problems. Whether your water is draining sluggishly or not at all, professional drain cleaning restores proper flow and helps prevent repeat issues. Signature Plumbing's licensed experts are available 24/7 to help your home. Call now at (636) 742-2533 or get in touch online to schedule your drain cleaning appointment today.
Fast and effective, our team of plumbing professionals treats your St. Louis home as if it were our own. We handle sinks, sewers, drain inspection, and other plumbing services meant to stop problems before they get out of hand.
On this page, we'll be reviewing how to tell when your drain needs to be cleaned, issues you might run into with a dirty drain, FAQs on drain cleaning, and the St. Louis drain cleaning services we offer at Signature Plumbing.
- 5 Signs Your St. Louis Drain Needs to be Cleaned
- Common Drain Cleaning Problems in St. Louis
- Our St. Louis Drain Cleaning Services
- St. Louis Drain Cleaning FAQs
- Contact Signature Plumbing For Your St. Louis Drain Cleaning Needs
Hear from our local customers in our reviews to learn why we've been St. Louis's top plumbing service since we first opened in 2011.
5 Signs Your St. Louis Drain Needs to be Cleaned
To avoid damage to your home's plumbing, keep an eye on your drain's performance and watch out for signs that you need to have it cleaned. We've picked out our five top signs to watch out for below:
1. Slow Drains
If it's taking a while for your appliances to drain water, one possible cause is that it's clogged. Whether intentionally or not, everyone inevitably sends more than water down the drain, and over time hair, food scraps, toiletries, and more can build up, causing blockages. Professional cleaning can remove these blockages, restoring your appliances' drain capabilities.
2. Water Backing Up
Depending on your home's plumbing, having a clog in one area can cause water to back up in another. For example, if your toilet line is clogged, it may not be immediately noticeable at the toilet. Instead, water may start to come up the drain of the sink, unable to properly flow into the correct pipe.
3. Foul Odors
Watch out for bad smells that are present in and around your drain. This could be caused by bacteria or fungi, but that's not the only cause. Foul odors can also be the result of sewage backup or air getting stuck in the pipes. In the short term, it's just a bad smell, but extended exposure can be dangerous.
4. Gurgling Sounds
Having a partially clogged line can result in gurgling or bubbling noises coming from trapped air. This allows some water to flow through, but creates bubbles and air pockets that aren't supposed to be there. Besides being annoying, these sounds are signs of a larger issue underneath.
5. Multiple Clogged Lines
Finally, all these issues can be amplified by having multiple clogged lines. Having multiple blockages in your home's plumbing system can result in slow drains, water backup, foul odors, and gurgling sounds at any of the drains. Sometimes, though, it's not a set of separate clogs, but actually one major one.
If you're noticing all of the above signs for more than one drain in your home, it's possible that there's another root cause: Issues with your main sewer line. A main sewer line issue is a big deal because sewage can potentially contaminate your home's clean water supply. If you are concerned this could be the case, it's important to reach out to a plumber right away.
Common Drain Cleaning Problems in St. Louis
Keeping your sewer and drains clean is more than removing dirt - it's important for the long-term health and safety of your home. Letting too much debris build up can damage your home's value, increase health risks, attract pests, and degrade your home's overall plumbing performance.
Corrosion
When debris gets stuck in your St. Louis drain and pipes, it can slowly but steadily corrode the pipes, causing damage over time. This can happen either through increased friction, changing the pH of the water, or both. Corrosion is particularly dangerous because it generally can't be detected from outside the pipe until it breaks and starts spilling water.
Clogs
Clogs can occur when debris builds up and narrows the drain, creating bottlenecks and even blockages. When your drain is not able to handle as much water, its performance will suffer, and eventually it can spit debris and dirty water back up the drain. Or, if pressure builds up, it can create a crack in the pipe.
Water Damage
If your pipe springs a leak, water can flood part of your home, causing serious damage. Sometimes this is obvious, but sometimes it can happen behind the walls and below the floors. If water leaks in these areas, it can cause rot and weaken the structure of your house, necessitating repairs.
Health Risks: Bacteria, Mold, and Mildew
Bacteria, mold, and mildew aren't just sources of bad odors - they can be sources of health issues, too. The organic matter in uncleaned drains can create a breeding ground for bacteria and fungi, which can spread and become airborne. On top of that, they can also increase pipe corrosion, leading to more issues.
Pest Infestations
Buildup of food waste and standing water can attract pests, particularly insects. In St. Louis, mosquitoes, flies, and cockroaches can all live and breed in these environments and create long-standing problems. Working with an exterminator can remove the pests, and working with a plumber to clean the drains can discourage them from returning.
Reduced Performance in Your Home's Plumbing
If you don't clean your drains regularly, you'll run into issues with your day-to-day plumbing performance. It may sneak up on you slowly, but having your drains perform suboptimally will affect you daily:
- Trouble washing the dishes
- Difficulty getting the toilet to fully flush
- Dirty or low-pressure showers
Over time, the buildup will increase and block the pipe entirely. At this stage, you're likely to see leaks in your pipes, spilling out water and damaging your property's value. To prevent this, avoid putting anything solid down your drains and work with a plumber to inspect them regularly.
Our St. Louis Drain Cleaning Services
No matter what drain is clogged and needs to be cleaned, Signature Plumbing is up to the task. Our goal is to fix the problem, wherever it is occurring.
- Sink Drain Cleaning: Food, hair, even toothpaste can get into sink drains and cause clogs. Our St. Louis drain cleaning professionals wipe these out with ease.
- Basement Drain Cleaning: The lower elevation makes basement drains prone to catch all kinds of clogs, whether from washing machine sediment, heavy rain, or something else. We won't just unclog the drain, we'll look for any damage to your foundation or damaged pipes.
- Sewer Drain Cleaning: At the end of your home's plumbing system, your sewer is prone to clogs from all kinds of home debris, and external threats like tree roots on top of it. If we find any damage while cleaning, we can excavate the sewer line to go in and fix it.
- Toilet Drain Cleaning: Wipes (even if they are labelled as flushable) can often cause clogs, in addition to toilet paper and other debris. Our industrial grade cleaners, drain snakes, and hydro jets are fine tuned to manage stubborn clogs.
- Bathtub Drain Cleaning: Hair, soap, dirt, and pet fur all tend to run down shower and bath drains, causing buildups and clogs over time. We'll clean out any mold or mildew that's grown in addition to removing the debris.
- Drain Camera Inspections: We don't just fix the first problem we see and call it done - with our drain inspection services, we can look further into your pipes to find the root cause of the clogs. This can eliminate guesswork and confirm whether or not you have a larger problem.
Call us now for 24/7 drain cleaning (or other plumbing) services, at (636) 742-2533.
St. Louis Drain Cleaning FAQs
Drain cleaning in St. Louis is a collaborative effort - regular professional drain cleaning attacks the tough clogs, while individual maintenance helps keep things operational the rest of the time. Here are answers to some of the most common St. Louis drain cleaning questions:
Should I use chemical drain cleaners?
We don't recommend using chemical drain cleaners for multiple reasons - they can damage your pipes, are ineffective against total blockages, and can be hazardous to your health. If they don't fully flush out, too, they can mix with other chemicals you send down your drain to make dangerous compounds.
Can clogged drains make you sick?
Yes, in two ways. First, clogs can create breeding grounds for harmful bacteria and fungi. This can
lead to exposure to infections and the like around the given drain.
Second, if the flow of
water is blocked, it can cause waste water to flow backwards, contaminating other parts of your St.
Louis home's water system.
How often should drain pipes be cleaned in St. Louis?
Regular professional drain cleaning services should be conducted every 6 months to 1 year, in order to knock out any heavy-duty blockages. You can do your own touch up monthly to minimize buildup.
What things should I avoid putting down drains?
While it would be impossible to make a truly comprehensive list, here are some common items that people tend to put down their drains, but actually shouldn't:
- Fats/Oils/Grease
- Coffee Grounds
- Egg Shells
- Paper (besides Toilet Paper)
- Cleaning Products
- Rice or Pasta
- Paint
What are common causes of drain clogs?
Even if you do your best to avoid putting any of the above substances down your drains, inevitably, some sort of debris will build up in them. Grease, hair, soap, and food waste all tend to cause clogs.
Is it okay to pour boiling water down the drain?
Probably not - boiling water can damage PVC pipe and some fittings, so we don't recommend pouring boiling water down any of your drains. There are technically use cases where it can help, but you can get similar cleaning effects with less warm water, and avoid damage to your pipes.
How can I protect my drain?
Besides regular cleaning/inspections, you can use a drain cover to prevent debris from falling in and clogging in the first place. Scrape food scraps into the trash bin, rather than the garbage disposal. And pour hot (not boiling!) water down the drain once a week to discourage grease from building up.
Let Signature Plumbing Handle Your St. Louis Drain Cleaning Needs
St. Louis drain cleaning isn't always fun work, but it is always important. At Signature Plumbing we're dedicated to providing top quality plumbing service for your home.
- Licensed Plumbing Professionals: Our team is licensed, insured, and have extensive experience serving the St. Louis area.
- Highly Responsive: We're available 24/7 to help with everything from cleanings to plumbing emergencies.
- Transparent Pricing: We won't surprise you with fees halfway through the cleaning - we're clear with our pricing and quotes before we start the job.
- On-The-Spot Fixes: Our team's trucks are stocked to fix whatever issues we find, so if we do find more issues than anticipated, we're still prepared.
Keep your drains clean and your house healthy. Call us today at (636) 742-2533 or contact us online for all your St. Louis drain cleaning needs.