A slow drain is a warning, not an annoyance

Most people wait until a drain stops completely. By then the blockage has usually been building for weeks, and what would’ve been a twenty-minute clear turns into a main-line job.

Skip the store-bought chemicals

Drain chemicals dissolve more pipe than clog. They sit against the blockage generating heat, and on older galvanized or PVC lines that’s how a slow drain becomes a leaking one. If a plunger and hot water haven’t moved it, the next step is a snake, not a second bottle.

When it’s worth a call

One slow fixture is usually local. Two or more slowing at once — a toilet and a shower on the same floor, say — means the problem sits further down the line. That’s worth a camera before it backs up into the house.