Clogged drains and backups can strike without warning, and when they do, they can cause a significant amount of stress and strife. If your sink is slow, your shower’s backing up, or your entire house smells like sewage, you may have an emergency on your hands. Here’s what to do if your drains aren’t just slow but threatening to flood your home.

Check for Multi-Drain Issues

Although a severely clogged shower, tub, sink, or toilet is always inconvenient, having multiple clogged or slow-moving drains at once is far worse. Make sure that other drains throughout your home aren’t having problems. Look for unpleasant drain odors, stagnant water, and visible drain debris.

Multi-drain issues could be the sign of sewer line blockage and an impending backup. Cracked, offset, and clogged sewer pipes can send effluence rushing back into your home. If you’re poised to experience a whole-house backup, turn your water off, stop using all connected drains and appliances, and call a plumber right away.

Don’t Use DIY Remedies

For any single-drain issue, you may be tempted to grab your plunger, drain snake, or drain cleaning chemicals. However, DIY drain cleaning often causes more problems than it solves. Plunging and snaking your drains without knowing the underlying problem could force solid, non-degradable items deeper into your pipes.

Tools with sharp tips can scrape the porcelain coatings off fixtures, crack fixtures, or cause serious eye and soft tissue injuries. Drain cleaning chemicals release toxic fumes that can result in eye, skin, and respiratory irritation. Some chemical drain cleaners can also eat through protective pipe coatings or pipes themselves. When you have a serious clog, professional drain cleaning is often the best solution.

Keep Everyone Away From Standing Water

Know the difference between fresh, potable water, gray water, and black water. Freshwater is the water that comes from your taps. Gray water is water that residents have already used, whether it’s released during your washing machine’s rinse cycle or trapped in your bathroom sink after you’ve brushed your teeth. Black water is wastewater or sewage. It’s rife with dangerous biological and chemical contaminants.

If you have standing water anywhere in your home, stay away from it. Keep small children and pets away from it as well. Wash any area of skin that’s come in contact with gray or black water, and change out of your soiled clothing.

Beware of Electrical Hazards

Whenever blocked drains and whole-house backups leave standing water in homes, it’s important to consider potential electrical hazards. Keep the affected area clear until your plumber arrives. As needed, turn your power off via your circuit breaker box or external emergency shut-off switch.

Drain cleaning is a job for professionals. Don’t rush for your plunger, drain snake, or store-bought drain cleaner when you have a tough clog. Stop using your water, clear the area, and contact a trusted plumber right away. For expert drain cleaning services in Albuquerque, NM, get in touch with ACE ABQ!