5 Common Causes of Slow Drains in Metro Detroit Homes

If you live anywhere in Metro Detroit and your sink, tub, or shower is draining slow, you’re not imagining things — and you’re definitely not alone. Slow drains are one of the most common plumbing problems I see around here, especially in older homes.

Here’s the truth: slow drains don’t just “happen.” There’s always a reason. And most of the time, it’s something building up over months or even years until one day the water just won’t go down anymore.

Before you dump chemicals down the pipe or grab a plunger and hope for the best, let’s talk about the five most common causes of slow drains in Metro Detroit homes, how to prevent them, and when it’s time to stop messing around and call a pro.

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1. Hair Buildup (The #1 Culprit)

Let’s start with the obvious one — hair.

Hair is public enemy number one when it comes to bathroom drains. Showers, tubs, bathroom sinks — all of them suffer from it. Hair doesn’t just wash away like people think. It tangles up, sticks to the inside of the pipe, and starts catching everything else that goes down the drain.

Soap scum, shampoo residue, toothpaste — it all clings to hair like glue.

How to Prevent Hair Clogs

• Use a drain screen or hair catcher (they’re cheap and they work)
• Clean the catcher weekly
• Avoid pushing hair down the drain when cleaning the tub
• Don’t rely on chemicals — they barely touch hair clogs

Once hair builds up past a certain point, DIY fixes stop working. That’s when professional drain cleaning makes sense.

2. Grease and Oil in Kitchen Drains

This one is huge in Metro Detroit homes — especially older ones.

People pour grease down the sink thinking “it’s liquid, it’ll be fine.” It’s not fine. Grease cools off inside your pipes, sticks to the walls, and slowly narrows the pipe until water barely moves.

Add food scraps, coffee grounds, and dish soap to the mix, and you’ve got a slow drain that’s only getting worse.

How to Prevent Grease Buildup

• Never pour grease or oil down the sink
• Wipe pans with a paper towel before washing
• Run hot water after washing dishes (not as a fix, just maintenance)
• Avoid dumping starchy foods and coffee grounds

Once grease hardens inside the pipe, no bottle from the store is fixing it. It needs mechanical cleaning.

3. Soap Scum and Mineral Buildup

Metro Detroit has hard water, and that matters more than people realize.

Soap doesn’t just rinse away cleanly in hard water. It combines with minerals like calcium and magnesium and forms a thick residue that coats the inside of pipes. Over time, that residue builds up and slows everything down.

This is especially common in:

• Shower drains
• Bathroom sinks
• Tub drains

How to Prevent Soap and Mineral Buildup

• Switch to liquid soap or low-residue soap
• Flush drains monthly with hot water
• Avoid mixing soaps and cleaners
• Consider professional drain maintenance once a year

Soap scum buildup is sneaky. The drain doesn’t stop suddenly — it just gets slower and slower until one day it barely drains at all.

4. Food Debris and Garbage Disposal Abuse

Garbage disposals are convenient, but they’re not trash cans.

I see this all the time: homeowners using the disposal for everything — pasta, rice, vegetable peels, eggshells, you name it. Over time, that stuff builds up in the pipes past the disposal, not in the disposal itself.

Rice and pasta expand. Fibrous foods wrap around pipe walls. Grease sticks to it all.

How to Prevent Disposal-Related Clogs

• Only put small scraps in the disposal
• Run cold water while using it
• Avoid fibrous foods completely
• Don’t assume grinding = gone

If your kitchen sink drains slow even after running the disposal, the clog is usually past the disposal, not inside it.

5. Older Pipes and Tree Root Intrusion

Here’s the one a lot of Metro Detroit homeowners don’t think about.

Many homes in the area still have:

• Cast iron pipes
• Clay sewer lines
• Older galvanized piping

These pipes deteriorate over time. They corrode, crack, or shift. Once that happens, debris catches easier — and in some cases, tree roots find their way inside.

Roots don’t just cause sewer backups. They slow drains first.

Signs This Might Be Your Problem

• Multiple slow drains in the house
• Gurgling noises
• Bad smells
• Water backing up in lower fixtures

At this point, DIY is off the table. You need professional equipment to clean and inspect the line properly.

Why Slow Drains Shouldn’t Be Ignored

Here’s the straight talk part: slow drains never fix themselves.

What starts as an annoyance turns into:

• Full backups
• Water damage
• Mold issues
• Emergency plumbing calls

Fixing a slow drain early is always cheaper and easier than dealing with a backup later.

When to Call a Professional Drain Cleaner

Call for help if:

• The drain stays slow after basic cleaning
• Multiple drains are affected
• Water backs up instead of draining
• You smell sewage or foul odors

Professional drain cleaning clears the entire pipe — not just the part you can reach.