When you have a shower backup problem, water can be very inconvenient very fast. One moment, you’re taking a shower, and the next, you’re ankle-deep in brown water from a backed-up shower while you’re trying to get clean. If you have issues with your shower backing up, understanding the causes behind shower drain issues can help prevent them in the future.
Trying to correct a clogged shower drain isn’t just a costly process but also an annoying one. Shower plumbing problems can even impact the rest of your plumbing system. If you want to learn more about what causes shower water backup, allow Iron Mountain Plumbing, Enoch’s reputable plumbing company, to explain everything you need to know.
Five Reasons Behind Your Shower Backing Up in Enoch, UT
If you find that you have slow shower drainage from time to time, you may be battling an ongoing issue with your pipes. Sometimes, shower drains can clog for obvious reasons, like an obstruction or an object that falls down inside. Other times, a more subtle issue can attack your pipes within areas that you don’t see unless you’re a plumber.
If you have issues with your shower backing up, you may have issues that require a plumber to solve. While you can dislodge some clogs with a drain snake, others require expert tools and a veteran plumber to amend. If you notice your shower backing up, consider some of the following reasons to bring up to your plumbing professional:
1. Hair Clogs
As one of the most common plumbing issues for bathrooms, hair clogs are notorious for starting issues with your drain pipe. Hair can build up in your drain pipe subtly, right up until you start noticing a slower drain time than normal. If you notice water pooling around your feet more often, you may have enough hair in your drain to have the budding start of an issue.
The good part about hair clogs is that you can quickly amend them with a drain snake. The bad part is that hair is quite stubborn; it doesn’t dissolve like other potential issues and can stay in your pipes past where you can see. If you have enough hair inside your drain pipe, you may need to call a plumber to do what a drain snake can’t.
2. Bath Bomb Clogs
Bath bombs, if too clustered and close to your drain, can cause your shower to start backing up. You might encounter this issue if you use more than one bath bomb at a time, to the point where they don’t dissolve properly before the materials go down the drain. Unfortunately, some bath bombs contain materials that don’t dissolve in water, like glitter or oils.
To prevent bath bombs from making your shower drain slower, consider reading the materials list on your bath bomb products before using them. If you have bath bombs with materials like oil and glitter in them, these non-dissolvable particles may stick to other objects in your drain, like hair. Since these products can congeal and worsen the issue, we suggest getting a drain inspection from time to time to ensure that the products you’re using in your bath aren’t creating a compounding issue.
3. Clogs in Your Home
Did you know that having a shower backing up is a sign that you might have clogs elsewhere in your house? Since many of your pipes connect to each other, one clogging issue may lead to complications throughout your home’s piping system, including places like your kitchen sink or even your toilet. If you have a main line backed up, evidence may present itself in your shower or other drains.
If you find that your shower is backing up with zero cause, then it may be time to call an expert to help resolve the situation. It can become very unsanitary very fast if your shower begins backing up with sewer water. Consider addressing this sort of problem soon so that places like your kitchen sink don’t become unhealthy to use.
4. Drain Issues in Your Home
If you have draining issues elsewhere in your home, it may start spreading to your shower pipes. Some older homes have more connectivity between pipes, such as from the sink to your shower drain. If you have a clogged sink or toilet, you may have consequences that pop up in your shower drain.
You may notice shower backing-up issues if you see water building up in your shower. To test whether this issue is only in your shower or in the entire pipeline, use a drain snake to scope out your line. If you notice the drain continuing to lag even after you remove any blockages, you may have an issue that’s throughout your home rather than isolated to just your shower.
5. Pipe Damage
If you’ve had a clog for quite a while without noticing, it could escalate into damage that only worsens the problem. Sometimes, when a clogged drain isn’t properly repaired, the pressure from each part of the pipe can cause cracking or (in a worst-case scenario) bursting. Once you have a pipe bursting, you can notice the issue quickly, depending on where the water begins to flood.
Pipe damage is a severe symptom of clogs, which represents why you should never let a drainage issue linger for too long. While Enoch isn’t the coldest place to live, those with colder climates have more to fear from clogs. If your pipes manage to freeze, and you already have a clog in the way, this issue could cause extensive damage to your home.
Signs You Have a Clogged Drain
Enoch, Utah, has a relatively temperate climate, which is why you don’t have to worry too often about pipes bursting or drains clogging due to ice. However, throughout most of the year, problems you’ll be seeing involve items that have accidentally gone down the drain to cause clogs. If you’ve accidentally let a few things slip down the shower drain, there are a few signs you can look out for that can clue you in on your drain’s status.
When you have a clogged drain, the symptoms can clue you in before lasting damage can happen. While your shower backing up is the main, most obvious symptom, there are a few more subtle ones you should look out for. If you’re worried about a clogged drain sneaking up on you, consider some of the following signs that you have a clogged drain in your shower or sink:
Slow Draining
When you have a slow drain during your shower, you may have a clog that is making draining difficult. This can be anything from hair to a blockage from something that fell down your shower drain. Luckily, this symptom means that you can address the issue and hopefully find a solution; if a drain snake works, then you can solve your problem.
Odd Noises
If you’re hearing groaning, squeaking, or water draining from behind your walls or below your bathtub, you may have a drainage issue hiding where you can’t see. If you’re trying to seek out whether or not you have a leak, running your water and keeping an ear out for these sounds can help. Older pipes may even shudder if you have a significant blockage in your pipes.
Water Backup
When you see water in your shower backing up, you may have a drainage issue below. There is a subtle difference between a local pipe issue and a sewage pipe issue.
If you notice that the water backing up in your shower is brown, you may have a sewage issue with your mainline pipe. However, if the water backing up in your shower is clear, the problem may be far easier to resolve in the shower drain pipe.
Let Iron Mountain Plumbing Solve Your Plumbing Problems in Enoch, Utah
Now that you know everything there is to know about issues relating to your shower backing up, leave the rest of your pipe issues to Iron Mountain Plumbing. We specialize in all things plumbing, whether it be on the pipes inside your walls or the sprinklers in your yard. With our expert plumbers, we can do everything from seeking out a leak to helping prevent drainage issues in your home.
When you work with Iron Mountain Plumbing, you work with professionals who are happy to answer any questions you have about your pipes and drainage system. We’re happy to serve you, whether you live in Enoch or any other local area.
Your floors and ceilings, especially if they’re made of wood, aren’t safe if you don’t have experts on hand who can detect a leak or stop a pipe problem before it happens. If you want reliable service for an unexpected rainy day, work with our team at Iron Mountain Plumbing.
No one enjoys pipe problems, especially when they cause damage throughout the house. Pipe problems can be anywhere and cause more than just your shower backing up. To contact us about our services, reach out to our team at 435•241•7031.