Professional Drain Cleaning Near You: Locals in Fort Myers Trust Aqua Care

What’s the Most Common Cause of Clogs in Drains?

After over two decades in the plumbing and drain cleaning business, we’ve seen (and cleared) about everything you can think of. If you’ve noticed water rising past your ankles in the shower or water pooling when brushing your teeth, it’s clear a clog is present.

The most common cause of clogged drains is everyday buildup of things that shouldn’t be going down your drain in the first place. Over time, things like hair, soap scum, grease, food particles, and other mystery gunk join forces to create a big clog. Think of it like a traffic jam in your pipes…only instead of cars, it’s hairballs and bacon grease. Here’s what we most often come across:

• Hair: For bathroom sinks, tubs, and showers, hair is probably the most common cause of clogs. It doesn’t break down easily, and once a strand wraps itself around part of the drain, it acts like a net…catching even more hair, as well as other debris.
• Soap scum: Soap scum binds with hair in a drain, combing to form a thick sludge that slows, or sometimes stops, the flow of water.
• Bathroom basics: Toothpaste, shaving cream, and makeup residue also contribute to clogs, clinging to the scum and hair to form a blockage that’s hard to break down.
• Great and oil: Grease and oil may go down as liquids, but as they cool in your pipes, solidifying and sticking like chewing gum on a hot sidewalk.
• Food particles: Coffee grounds, eggshells, and starchy leftovers (like rice or pasta) love to expand and clump in your pipes.
• Non-flushable items: Only toilet paper should go in the toilet. Anything else (even “flushable” wipes) can clog things up – no hygiene products, paper towels, kitty litter, etc.

Catching a clog early can save you from a full-blown plumbing emergency, so look out for signs like water draining slowly, gurgling noises in your pipes, bad smells wafting from the sink, and backed-up water in sinks or tubs.

Need professional drain de-clogging help? If your plunger isn’t working, DIY drain snakes aren’t cutting it, or you’ve got a recurring clog that’s disrupting your life week after week, it’s time to call in a professional. We’re here to help – reach out soon.

Will Drain Cleaning Damage My Pipes & Plumbing?

It’s a question many homeowners worry about: “If I get my drains professionally cleaned, will it harm my pipes?” Your plumbing system may be tucked away out of sight (and usually out of mind), but it’s one of your home’s most important lifelines, so it’s an understandable concern.

To answer quickly, no – when done correctly by an expert, professional drain cleaning methods should cause no damage to your pipes.

For more insight, it helps to know what professional drain cleaning actually involves. Typically, plumbers use tools like:

• Drain snakes (or augers), which are flexible, rotating cables that physically break up clogs. Drain snakes carefully cut through clogs without damaging the pipe walls and are flexible enough to bend through curves and joints with ease.
• Hydro jetting, which uses high-pressure water streams to blast away buildup inside pipes. Powerful jets blast away grease, scale, and roots buildup with water alone…and no harsh chemicals. When done by pros with the right pressure settings, it cleans thoroughly without harming your pipes.
• Industrial cleaners that are enzyme-based to dissolve organic material. The products used by professional plumbers are gentler than harsh over-the-counter chemical cleaners, and they’re specifically designed to break down organic clogs without eating away at your plumbing.

Each method targets different types and severities of clogs, but all aim to clear the pipes without digging them up or damaging them. Just be sure to hire a reputable licensed plumber that knows their stuff. Certified techs will know which tools and pressures work best for your plumbing type, minimizing the risk of more serious damage significantly.

What’s the Best Way to Address Drain Clogs Caused by Tree Roots?

As tree roots grow underground searching for water and nutrients, they sometimes mistake your drain pipes for an easy water source. When that happens, those roots can sneak in through tiny cracks or joints, grow inside your pipes, and cause some major issues in the process. 

Detecting tree root clogs early can save you a ton of headaches and help you avoid more major plumbing disasters, so watch for these red flags:

• Slow drains all throughout your home: When multiple drains slow down at once, it’s often a main line issue, not just a single clogged sink.
• Water backups in toilets or sinks: Roots can block main sewer lines, causing wastewater to push back up into your home.
• Gurgling sounds from drains: That eerie bubbling noise might be your pipes struggling to breathe past root blockages.
• Lush patches in your yard: If you notice unusually green or wet spots in your yard near your sewer line, roots could be causing a leak or blockage.
• Repeated clogs despite clearing: If you fix a clog but it comes back again quickly, roots might be regrowing inside the pipe.
• Foul odors: Sewage smells near your yard or drains can hint at pipe damage or root intrusion.

That said, the way to officially confirm tree roots are the problem is through a professional video sewer inspection. A licensed plumber can insert a small camera into your pipes to see inside (without digging up your yard), allowing them to locate root clusters, cracks, or breaks precisely.

Once roots are confirmed as the culprit, here’s your game plan:

• Mechanical Root Removal (Root Cutting or Snaking): A plumber will use a special root-cutting tool attached to a drain snake to slice through the roots inside the pipe. This clears the blockage and lets water flow again, but roots can grow back, so this might be a temporary fix.
• Hydro Jetting: This method uses high-pressure water jets to blast away roots and other buildup inside your pipes. Hydro jetting is effective, but doesn’t stop roots from growing back down the line.
• Chemical Root Killers: Some chemical treatments kill roots inside pipes and slow regrowth. That said, these need to be used carefully and under professional guidance, so they don’t harm nearby plants or your plumbing.
• Pipe Repair or Replacement: If roots have caused serious damage (cracks, breaks, etc.), you may need to repair or replace the affected pipe sections. Modern trenchless pipe repair techniques mean less digging and disruption.

If detected early enough, physical root barriers can be installed underground to keep roots away from pipes. Be sure to book regular inspections and cleanings, even if you haven’t noticed obvious issues, to catch root problems early…before they cause serious blockages or create damages.

Clogged Drains? We Can Help

Don’t let a clogged drain disrupt your day or cause bigger problems down the line. When you need reliable, expert drain cleaning near you in Fort Myers, Aqua Care is just a call away. We’ve got the skills and experience to get your plumbing flowing smoothly again. 

Reach out today to schedule your service and see why so many locals trust Aqua Care for fast, effective drain solutions.