Having plumbing issues can wreak havoc on your household activities. This goes especially with cases of severe clogging, which can cause damage to the whole plumbing system if a foreign object penetrates your pipes.
Sometimes uncommon plumbing problems need the help of experts that know better. You can find a lot of contractors and plumbers that have reportedly seen something strange in a plumbing system, even when they’re based in upscale neighborhoods. The contractors and plumbers at https://allserviceplumbers.com/cerritos/ recommend hiring professionals with the needed modern equipment, such as inspection cameras, to check down the drain and pipes for anything odd that could be causing a clog or a bad smell. Since such accidents are unpredictable sometimes, it’s important to have someone trained to inspect this to minimize the damage done to your pipes and to come up with a solution that fixes the issue by removing the root cause. While some DIYers might have the experience to fix specific problems themselves, it would be safer to have someone trained to handle the issue. Here are some of the strangest things that you can find in your plumbing system, and what you can do to fix them:
Snakes
This might scare you, but some people were unlucky enough to find snakes in their plumbing pipes. One snake has reportedly tried to climb its way out of the toilet, too! This can be a huge problem, as it can be very difficult to flush them out. Only ten inches of water separates a household from the sewer, making it quite easy for some snakes to swim and slither through pipes. This can lead to clogging at some point, too, so remember to call the plumbers and exterminators, if you ever find yourself in a similar situation.
Tree Roots
This may sound very strange, but it’s surprisingly common in suburban areas. Some trees around your house or apartment building can damage the plumbing lines if roots spread too far down the pipes. Naturally, tree roots grow in the direction of water pools to survive, so if a tree is close to the main plumbing line, it can spread deeper and penetrate and damage plastic, metal, and copper materials, which are all parts of a plumbing system. This can lead to grass growth in the pipes, which slows down the drain, and may also cause a foul odor that spreads to your bathroom. This type of penetration would need an emergency plumbing service to fix the issue; the best solution is to replace the entire line to prevent this from happening again.
Rats
Just like snakes, rodents are excellent swimmers and can penetrate your pipes. They can chew through every part of plastic and metal in their way until they reach the opening of your toilet bowl. They might also claw and gnaw through the pipes. This can be an annoying and scary issue, seeing as rodents can hold their breath underwater for a long time, and the plumbing system of a toilet has a ventilation part where they can take their breath. Flushing the rodent might not work, but there have been cases where rats died in the ventilation unit and caused a blockage that slowed the drainage system. So remember to close the toilet lid if you ever see a rat peeking through, and call professionals for help.
Tubifex Worms
This is another creature that you can find stuck in your system, causing blockages or bad smells. These worms are also called sludge worms because they tend to be found writhing in a ball-shaped mass. They prefer wet and damp areas and are usually found in lakes or rivers, but they might find their way into your plumbing system. It’s difficult to identify a colony of worms, but it’s not impossible to locate the source of the problem. These worms aren’t dangerous to us, but they can be a nuisance if the colony is huge, seeing as this can cause drainage problems that may lead to bursting pipes.
With proper care and early detection, you can find a way to fix a plumbing issue before the problem gets out of hand. It’s important to understand that frequent checkups and proper plumbing care would do you good because they can avoid possible disasters, damaged pipes, or uncontrolled water leaks. Make sure that you don’t try fixing anything yourself, as that may further damage your plumbing system. If you encounter one of these rare cases, they need to be fixed by professionals.