There is almost nothing as scary as seeing a disgusting black or brown cockroach crawling out of your drain. These pests are dangerous health nuisances and are never welcomed in a home. Unfortunately, once they do get in, they can be tricky to dislodge. Learn what to do when you have roaches in your drain, how to prevent them, and when to call the professionals.
Why Are Roaches in My Drain?
Cockroaches are fond of dark, wet, and warm environments. They are skilled at getting through the tiniest cracks in your home, and they get into pipes that are hard to maintain. Most of your plumbing is hidden out of sight in your ceiling, behind walls, and connects directly to sewer systems—after all, your drain has to exit the house somewhere.
Cockroaches love sewer systems. When it rains, however, they skitter to escape rising waters. They’ll find tiny cracks in pipes and get into drains. Once there, they quickly establish themselves and become a severe problem.
To learn more about sewer roaches, read here.
How to Prevent a Drain Roach Infestation
To avoid roaches, the first thing to do is to remove access points to your drain. Inspect your pipes regularly and replace those that need to be shored up—especially those under the sink and behind the bathtub or washing machine. If you can see light shining through, that’s a big enough crack for a roach. If you smell sewer gas or see discharge, that’s also a red flag. Caulking may seem like a fix, but it’s only a bandage on the problem. Damaged pipes should be replaced.
If you have a leaky faucet, fix it. The tiny puddles these create are water sources for roaches. Seal up any holes or crevices around drain pipes or walls using silicone caulk. Keep your house clean. Don’t leave dirty dishes in the sink, take the garbage out regularly, and keep your drain cleaned and covered at night.
How to Eliminate Roaches in Your Drain
First things first: don’t pour bleach down the drain and don’t use chemical drain openers. Will this kill roaches? Possibly, but it won’t eliminate the infestation entirely, and worse, it can seriously harm your pipes. It can also release toxic fumes if they contact other chemicals like sewer gas or ammonia.
The first step to clear roaches is to flush your pipes. Plug the drain and fill the sink with hot water. Then let it drain. Continue to run hot water down the drain for 3 minutes or so, then pour a pot of boiling water down the drain. This should flush out the critters. You can also use a mixture of baking soda and vinegar, followed by flushing with boiling water.
If you see roaches in your drain, it probably means you’ve got a plumbing problem somewhere. Contact professionals at Sin City Plumbing to get the problem fixed properly today!
