The signs that mean it's time
Drains rarely fail all at once. They warn you first. If you catch the warning, the fix is small. Ignore it and you're fishing for a plumber at midnight.
- •1. More than one drain is slow at the same time — that's a main-line issue, not a single clog.
- •2. Gurgling sounds when water runs — air's trapped behind a partial blockage.
- •3. A drain you've cleared keeps coming back slow within a few weeks.
- •4. Sewer or musty smell from a drain that's supposed to hold water in the trap.
- •5. Water backs up into a tub or floor drain when you run the washer.
What it usually means
In older homes the common cause is buildup — grease and soap scum in kitchen lines, hair and soap in bath lines, and decades of gunk in the main. One fixture slow is a local clog. Several slow at once is almost always downstream, and that's the one you don't want to wait on.
Don't reach for the bottle
Liquid drain cleaners are the worst first move in an older home. They sit in the pipe eating at the clog — and the pipe — and when they don't clear it, you've now got a clog full of corrosive liquid that the plumber has to deal with. Call instead.
Have a plumbing issue right now?
Call and leave a voicemail — Bob calls back during business hours. For the fastest reply (usually within the hour), email him directly.