Hidden Plumbing Problems: What to Look for

How The Anatomy Of Your Home's Plumbing Affects Clogs

1 August 2019

Herbert Chambers

Clogged drains are never fun, but there's a world of difference between minor clogs and major ones. Insignificant clogs can often be solved with products that are available at any big box or home improvement store, but more serious clogs usually require professional assistance. In some cases, special equipment may even be required. Understanding a bit about how your home's plumbing is laid out can help you to better understand how clogs form and whether the clog you are facing is a serious one.

Fixtures and Branch Drains

Even the smallest homes and apartment have multiple sources of wastewater. Your home most likely has drains for showers, toilets, tubs, and sinks, as well as other appliances, such as washing machines and dishwashers. Individual drains usually have traps installed to prevent objects that are dropped into the drains from creating deeper clogs.

Each of these sources of wastewater must have its own drain pipe, but they ultimately all go to the same place. Depending on how many levels and rooms are present in your home, there may be multiple branch drains that carry the wastewater from several sources (such as the toilet, tub, and sink located in a single bathroom). Clogs in branch drains will affect multiple drains in a single room, but they will not impact drains elsewhere in the house.

The Drain Stacks

The branch drainpipes on each level empty into one or more drain stacks. These are vertical pipes that carry wastewater out of your home. The layout of your home determines how many drain stacks are present since it is not always possible for fixtures on multiple levels to empty into the same stack, although many homes are designed with a single stack. Clogs in the main plumbing stack will affect all of the fixtures that are located above it. This means that a lower-level clog in a stack that accepts wastewater from the levels above it can potentially cause drains on multiple levels to back up.

The Main Drain and Sewer Lateral

Finally, wastewater from your home's drain stacks exits into the main drain, which ultimately carries it away from your house. If your home makes use of the city sewer, then this main drain empties into a pipe known as a lateral, which is a branch of the main sewer line. If your home uses a septic system, then your main drain will empty into your septic tank. Clogs in the main drain, sewer lateral, or septic line will affect your entire home. Additionally, clogs this far into the system will usually produce foul odors at some or all of the drains in your home.

Determining the Location of a Clog

Now that you have some basic knowledge about your home's plumbing layout, it should be easier to understand how clogs can impact your drains. As a general rule, clogs that are further down in the system will impact those fixtures located "behind" them. This does not always mean that all of the affected drains will be backed up entirely, however, and the behavior of these drains can sometimes be a clue to the clog's location. Drains that are closer to the clog's location will usually back up more quickly, while drains farther away may simply seem to run slowly.

If you suspect that a clog is located somewhere in a drain stack or your home's main drain line, then it is important to seek professional assistance. These clogs can be difficult to reach with do-it-yourself solutions, and continued use of your drains can lead to the clog becoming even more difficult to remove. Contact a drain-cleaning contractor today to learn more.

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