The issue of drain worms is a nuisance for home owners and it’s very creepy. This problem does not occur in new house where kitchen has not been used that much. These worms doesn’t do harm to people or drain system but are extremely unpleasant and can cause harm to pets.
If you have drain worms it is very important to locate the infestation and get rid of them as soon as possible. Contact local specialist to take care of the problem and continue reading if interested in how Remodel On Point suggest it could be dealt with.
Solutions for getting rid or drain worms and flies:
- Hot – Boiling Water
- Spays and Chemicals
- Power Washing or Commercial Drain Cleaning
- Replace the Drain
The service to remove drain flies by professional is fast and not expensive. Trying to take care of it DYI method can damage pipes and cause additional problems.
Pouring Boiling Water Solution
The simplest solution to get rid of drain worms is to flush out the drain with boiling water. The idea is to get water so hot that it kills worms and flies. With high pressure and large amounts of boiling water everything can be flushed out completely. But most situations are complicated and this trick will not work.
This method doesn’t cost anything and definitely worth trying before getting professionals involved. Boil pot of water (2-5 litters) and slowly pour down the drain where drain worms were seen. Repeat several times throughout the day and observe changes.
The problem always stops for at least a day or two, but can reoccur if worms have larger infestation and can hide away from boiling water.
To Use Spays and Chemicals
Another solution is to apply different chemicals and pour them in drain system to kill worms. There are plenty of manufactures that claim to be best for worm and flies removal. They are available online and on shelves of local hardware stores.
Instructions are specific to each product, but to summarize it says to pour specific amount of chemicals down the drain without flushing it with water. The process may need to be repeated twice or three times to complete full treatment.
These chemicals are definitely not friendly to humans or pets. For the time of use it’s recommended to stay away from kitchen or even vacate the house. There have been incidents when suggested chemicals damaged the pipes causing more harm and full drain replacement.
Power Washing or Commercial Drain Cleaning
Just like a blockage in drain pipe, the nest of drain worms can be removed by power flushing the drain. In early stages it is very possible to make it go away, but when worms have large nest and have attachments to pipe from inside, it will be harder to power wash them completely.
Downside of this method is it can damage old pipes with pressurized water and drain would either crack or completely collapse. It helps more with blockage and not always cleans the pipe completely removing all the worms and flies.
In ideal world, light chemicals would be used first to kill worms and later power washed with less pressure to clean down the rest of infestation and wash out chemicals.
Replace the Drain
The last solution on recommendation list is to remove drain pipes completely. If nothing helps removing the worms from the drain, it’s time to get rid of pipes and replace it with new material.
The trick is to find where infestation is located and make sure it doesn’t go deeper down the drain. Camera inspection is good method to check inside of pipes. Hopefully they are located close to P-trap and not somewhere underground where excavation and full drain replacement required.
Plumbers deal with this issue and can suggest feasible solution with replacement. Unfortunately drain worms are more common than home owners realize.
Recommendation for DIY Removing Drain Worms
Remodel On Point specifically created list of how to get rid of drain worms in this sequence. For those who have to interest of calling professionals and want to take care of this problem on their own the steps should be:
- Inspect and try to understand how large worm infestation is. Is it reoccurring issue or did it just start few days ago.
- Boil water and pour it down the drain. This may be quickest way, but doesn’t always work.
- If after few days to a week works or flies start coming from the drain, get suggested chemicals from local hardware store. Use it as told on package.
- Wash it down several times with regular water in large amounts. Power wash is not recommended, but can be used under low pressure.
- In case nothing works it’s time to completely remove drain pipe with worms and eggs inside.
What Causes Drain Worms and Flies?
Drain worms don’t appear from thin air. Pieces of vegetables or foods and organic materials that may originally have worms or eggs. It gets stuck and continues to decay. Technically it has come from worms originating from somewhere, blockage in pipe for them to develop and grow, source of food for worms to feed on.
Flies and worms can process fungus, hairs, plants organic material that are flushed down and stay inside the drain. If there is a blockage for drain worms to originate and grow, the food will definitely get stuck there as well.
It’s needless to say that these worms grow better in still water and high humidity. That is no surprise as it’s exactly what we expect inside drain pipes.
Are Drain Worms Dangerous or Harmful?
For many years people have experienced issues with worms inside drains and have thought that they are extremely dangerous living organisms. That is not true or at least not completely adequate statement.
They do not bite or carry infectious diseases that are transmittable to humans. Generally drain worms are more annoying and as some may say disgusting than harmful. If eaten accidently eat them, it can turn out pretty bad for them.
It is not clear if these flies can damage drain pipes, but blockage can contribute to cracks creating high pressure.
Worms and flies can become a source of food for larger and more dangerous insects like roaches and that may carry additional problems.
Fighting drain flies can be more harmful than having them. Chemicals used can poison people, plants and pets if treated without careful supervision. Always read the manual before use.
