“Cement? Why is there cement in my drains?”
Drain clogs are one of the unfortunate hassles of daily life. Taking care of stopped-up drains is one of the basic jobs of a professional plumber, and any licensed plumber knows how to tackle a wide range of causes for clogged and slow drains.
There are a number of drain clogs that plumbers see all the time: clots of hair caught in the p-trap of a bathroom sink, food waste in kitchen sinks, objects accidentally flushed down a toilet, and soap scum build-up in a shower drain. But most plumbers can also tell stories about super odd things causing drain clogs. Here are a few of the more off-beat and unusual reasons for drain clogs—because even these can be helpful in understanding how to avoid future clogging problems.
Smartphones
You’ve probably had the experience of a smartphone slipping out of your pocket when you’re reaching for something. Now imagine that happening and the smartphone tumbles down into the toilet! It’s happened, and a smartphone is definitely large enough to create a major blockage. A plumber can unclog the toilet when this happens, although the phone itself is probably a lost cause. (Sorry.)
Cat litter
Here’s an excellent piece of advice for all those cat lovers who are reading our blog: never get rid of cat litter by pouring it down the toilet! Yes, this seems like a quick and hygienic way to dump out litter. But as a general rule, you don’t want any type of trash aside from toilet paper to go down the toilet. Cat litter is a real problem for toilets because it has natural clumping action, meaning it quickly leads to major blockages in drain pipes. Pour cat litter into a garbage bag and take it to the outdoor trash instead.
Cement
“Wh-what? Why would I pour cement down my drains?” The cement doesn’t come from your pouring it down drains, but from poor construction work elsewhere in the house. Old pipes are sometimes blocked off using cement, and it can end up inside a working drainage pipe. So not only to want to always call on professional plumbers for plumbing work, only call on professional building contractors who won’t accidentally stop up your pipes with cement!
Children’s toys
If you have kids in the house, you know they sometimes put their toys and other belongings in weird places. And that could include knocking them down toilets and sinks, leading to a serious blockage. One of the most common types of toys to sneak into drains are Legos: just small enough to slip down most drain opening, just large enough to create a major stoppage.
Your Erlanger, KY clogged drain troubles are easy to fix—no matter how strange they might be! If the basic plunger won’t do the job, reach for the phone and call our trained experts at Ken Neyer. (Don’t reach for drain cleaner. Not only can these chemical cleaners damage your pipes, but they certainly can’t take care of cement or Legos!)
Look to Ken Neyer Plumbing, Inc. for all your plumbing needs. We have 24-hour emergency service available.