Chances are, you will experience your fair share of clogged drains over the course of your lifetime. According to plumbing professionals, clogged drains rank in at number one when it comes to common plumbing issues. The most common culprits include hair clogs, food waste, soap scum, and grease; however, these are not the only culprits. There are several other culprits that may immediately clog up a drain and throw your whole home plumbing system into a frenzy. In this brief guide, you will learn about a few of the weirdest and most unusual causes of clogged drains in the home.

Frog on Toilet
source: pixabay

Stuffed Animals

Kids love playing with stuffed animals. These may vary from very small to large replicas of favorite real or imagined creatures. Exceptionally small children may find themselves wanting to give their favorite furry friend a bath. While this is typically fine in a bathtub, it may not be as acceptable if they try to do it in the toilet. This is especially true if they flush the toilet in order to rinse off the stuffed animal.

The toy or pieces of the toy may find their way down into the toilet flange or even further into the pipe just past the flange. While we are discussing the fact that pieces of or entire stuffed animals may find their way down larger drains, we feel it is important to point out that smaller toys may also become lodged in drains.

Anything from tiny Army men to pieces of board games to Matchbox cars have been pulled from drains around the world.

Barrier Contraceptive and STD Protection Supplies

Many plumbers have arrived to a home to clear a clog to discover that barrier contraceptive and STD protection supplies – such as male or female condoms – are the culprit to the issue. These products are normally composed of latex rubber, but may be composed of polyurethane or polyisoprene.

Despite a warning being included on the packaging, many have attempted to flush these items only to find that it detrimentally impacts their plumbing system and comes with a hefty cost.

You should never attempt to flush these products. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions on the labeling for proper disposal.

Clogged Drain
source: pixabay

Creatures

A wide assortment of creatures has the capability of finding their way into your home and resulting in complications. Many of these have the ability to get inside of your pipes and cause a clog. The most common include rats, mice, and snakes.

Additional animals that may result in plumbing hardship includes insects, opossums, frogs, salamanders, and lizards. If you have a clog, do not reach down free-handed as you never know what you will run into while in the pipe. Though rare, creatures may be the culprit of your clog!

Let Us Help

There are many reasons why a drain may clog. In most cases, soap, scum, grease, and hair are to blame. In other instances, you may find yourself looking at something weird and unusual in your drain such as toys, barrier contraceptives, or maybe even a feisty little mouse!

In addition to the items outlined here, other oddities include socks, jewelry, phones, bras, sponges, feminine products, money, dentures, hearing aids, batteries, pens, crayons, markets, silverware, caps, and a multitude of other items.

If you have a drain problem that you are simply unable to handle yourself, contact us here at Reynold’s Plumbing today by calling: 765-966-0994

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